What happens when jewellery isn’t simply worn to adorn, but to challenge? When it disturbs and irritates, or when it offends the viewer?
A meteorite older than our planet is attached to the body. Fine wires converge like chaotic architectural drawings that appear to float in space. A piece of camel dung comes encased in 18-carat gold wire. Colours, enamel, and hints of toy pieces evoke a sense of lightness and childlike curiosity.
The exhibition »REBELS – Contemporary Jewellery from Norway,« presented by the Norwegian artist collective OSL Works, brings together contemporary pieces by Runa Vethal Stølen, Reinhold Ziegler, Kirsti Reinsborg Grov, and Sigurd Bronger.
The artists expand on the conceptual reorientation of jewellery art that took place in the 1970s and 1980s, when the field broke with traditional design principles and jewellery evolved into a sculptural, experimental, and often socially engaged medium.
Today, despite the freedoms gained over the past decades, parts of the contemporary jewellery scene show a tendency towards harmonization and alignment with the established expectations of the market and institutions. Against this backdrop, »REBELS« explores how resistance can be articulated through the medium itself. The works examine materials, form, and function from different perspectives, revealing how they shape our perception of jewellery. Traditional craft techniques are juxtaposed with unconventional materials and design approaches, bringing the unexpected into focus.
»REBELS« presents jewellery not as decoration, but as an art form: personal, experimental, and challenging.