brooch (in)-Somnium | 2022 | silver, poly-urethane, white coral | 9 x 4 x 3 cm
brooch (in)-Somnium | 2022 | silver, poly-urethane, red coral | 4,5 x 5 x 3 cm
necklace (in)-Somnium | 2022 | silver, poly-urethane | 21 x 8 x 3 cm
brooch (in)-Somnium | 2022 | silver, poly-urethane | 10 x 5 x 4 cm
necklace (in)-Somnium | 2022 | silver, poly-urethane, steel | 23 x 5 x 3 cm
brooch (in)-Somnium | 2022 | silver, poly-urethane | 7 x 5 x 2 cm
earrings (in)-Somnium | 2022 | silver, poly-urethane | ± 4,5 x 2 x 2 cm (dimensions variable)
brooch (in)-Somnium | 2022 | silver, poly-urethane, red coral | 9 x 6 x 2 cm
brooch (in)-Somnium | 2022 | silver, poly-urethane, white coral | 9 x 6 x 3 cm
necklace (in)-Somnium | 2022 | silver, poly-urethane, steel | 23 x 5 x 4 cm
brooch (in)-Somnium | 2022 | silver, poly-urethane | 6 x 5 x 2 cm
rings (in)-Somnium | 2022 | silver, poly-urethane | ± 4 x 2 x 2 cm (dimensions variable)
brooch (in)-Somnium | 2022 | silver, poly-urethane, jaspis | 6,5 x 6 x 2,5 cm
brooches (in)-Somnium 2022, silver, poly-urethane, 8 cm x 3 x 2 cm | silver, poly-urethane | 7 x 3 x 2 cm
necklace (in)-Somnium | 2022 | silver, poly-urethane, steel | 25 x 6 x 4 cm
brooch (in)-Somnium | 2022 | silver, poly-urethane | 5 x 5 x 5 cm
brooch (in)-Somnium | 2022 | silver, poly-urethane | 5 x 5 x 5 cm
necklace (in)-Somnium | 2022 | silver, poly-urethane | 20 x 7 x 3 cm
brooch (in)-Somnium |2022 | silver, poly-urethane | 4 x 6 x 2 cm
brooch (in)-Somnium 2022, silver, poly-urethane, 8 cm x 3 x 2 cm
brooch (in)-Somnium | 2022 | silver, poly-urethane | 7 x 3 x 2 cm
necklace (in)-Somnium | 2022 | silver, poly-urethane, steel | 23 x 8 x 5 cm
brooch (in)-Somnium | 2022 | silver, poly-urethane | 7,5 x 4,5 x 4 cm
brooch (in)-Somnium | 2022 | silver, poly-urethane | 6 x 4 x 2 cm
necklace (in)-Somnium | 2022 | silver, poly-urethane, reconstructed red coral, steel | 23 x 5 x 3 cm
brooch (in)-Somnium | 2022 | silver, poly-urethane | 8 x 6 x 3 cm
(in)-Somnium
The spheres of biology and technology may seem to be miles apart, but nothing is less true. Think for instance of a carbon-fibre running-blade prosthesis that, with one single graceful gesture can replace a complete lower leg, or how in laboratories cells can be studied and processed. The dividing line between the human body and science’s achievements is nowadays sometimes hard to distinguish.
Simultaneously there is a risk of blurring the boundaries between good and evil, between subservient and dangerous… All these themes fascinate the artist Katja Prins, and – during a career that spans already 25 years! – they played an essential part in her artistic out-put. Since she creates predominantly jewellery pieces, there is often an intriguing interplay between the work she makes and the body on which they function as embellishment. Recently, Prins once again delved deep into the conceptual approach that had guided all her previous jewellery collections, by taking a Master course at the HKU, the University of the Arts Utrecht. However, for her latest collection she distanced herself from all theoretical tenets and retracted into her studio, going back to unfettered artistic endeavour. Of course her fascinations remained the same, yet this time her approach was to be much more intuitive, accessing the dreamworld inside her head – the phenomenon that inspired the title of the exhibition.
It is completely in character that recent technical innovations were key in this new approach. Prins discovered a computer program that facilitates sketching in three dimensions. Equipment originating from the gaming industry, registers movements in free space in such a way, that it feels for the artist that she is working in clay. In this way she can produce any imaginable, amorphous shape, which - once 3D printed - results in lightweight, seductive-sensual objects. In the final jewellery pieces these elements are invariably combined with parts that she produced in a traditionally artisanal way.
Prins’ imagery shall always encompass, one way or the other, the human body – with shapes referring to a pair of lungs, spoon-like forms relating to the intake of medicine or food, or by choosing the colour red – but above all, her emphasis in this work is on empathic notions like supporting and sheltering.
Ward Schrijver, art historian and architect, Amsterdam, NL (© Galerie Rob Koudijs)
Photography: Merlijn Snitker |