Alchemist, magician, god or anamorphic animal, the trickster is known to take many forms. The latest manifestation of this playful character is bringing awareness to the changes in contemporary jewellery and challenging long-held consumer attitudes towards jewellery pieces.
Titled “Tricksters”, the exhibition is the second on the subject by artist Anastasia Taylor since completing her MFA research at Monash University. The collection of 14 titanium characters, each a medium to channel changes in technology, expands on the range of designs and materials.
The rapid development of digital technology and CAD has allowed artists to work with more complex materials, enabling new interpretations of their imaginative spirit while opening new aesthetics for art and design. By investigating contemporary figurations of the trickster, Anastasia seeks to highlight the impact of this contemporary technology on the jewellery industry.
The collection is also a means to challenge long-held, traditional attitudes towards jewellery. It leverages the archetypal trickster as a “culture bringer”.With the ability to shatter existing paradigms, definitions and perceptions, Tricksters opens a channel of communication between the mainstream customer and art jewellery, traditional and contemporary.
Through her work, Anastasia leverages the quirkiness and “kawaii” allure of the trickster character and its appeal in Asia, taking customers back to their carefree youth through these lovable characters. At the same time, the trickster is a spirit guide and each figure in the collection evokes unique qualities allowing customers to connect with the one they can relate the most and, perhaps, wear it as a talisman.
Instagram: @trickster_hk
Exhibition Period: 21 March - 18 April 2019
Exhibition Opening Reception: Thursday 21 March, 6-9 pm RSVP here