Transplantation

Thru 23 June 2012

This touring exhibition of contemporary narrative jewellery created by a group of artists based in either Britain or Australia will explore the sense of place and cultural identity through the theme of Transplantation. Each artist will examine their individual cultural identity as a consequence of their own personal and family experiences.

Jewellery, probably the most exciting of todays applied arts, offers an artform which, inter alia, provides a means of recording memory and experience in a portable and wearable form. Through this medium it is possible to express ideas, thoughts, and concerns, which may not be achievable in other ways. A selected group of twelve contemporary jewellery artists from the UK and Australia have been asked to create up to three pieces of work each, which will articulate the notion of 'transplantation' in a tangible form.

UK artists

Jivan Astfalck-London, Norman Cherry Lincoln, Lin Cheung London, Jack Cunningham Birmingham, Jo Pond Derby, Laura Potter London

Australian artists

Roseanne Bartley Melbourne, Nicholas Bastin Melbourne, Anna Davern Melbourne, Joung-Mee Do Sydney, Sheridan Kennedy Sydney, Bridie Lander Sydney/Birmingham

Even jewellers whose work is not overtly illustrative often have a story to tell. In some cases participants existing reputations are already built on narrative and metaphor. Others are committed to this project because of personal interests and experiences, as migrants temporary or permanent; as descendants of migrants; or through witnessing schoolfriends leaving for new shores and knowing the sense of loss of those left behind.

For the artists involved, this project has provided a significant opportunity for personal research and development of their professional output, and major international exposure in a country with a developing constituency for the subject.

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