Jewelry + Image – GRASSI Museum of Applied Arts, Germany

Almost unnoticed, a collection of contemporary jewelry has grown in the museum over the last decades, which is now coming into the public eye. The objects attest to the gradual emancipation of jewelry design as an autonomous form of artistic expression. But what are brooches, rings, and necklaces without one to wear them? Jewelry can only be realised on the body, as a representation of the self and/or as a symbol of perception to the outside world.

Thus, it is only logical to understand people and jewelry as a unity, and to photograph them with ‘their’ piece of jewelry. Personalities who are connected to the museum in various ways are ‘adorned’ and brought into the frame by aspiring and established photographers. In the exhibition, the pieces of jewelry correspond with the photographic works, making possible a deeper and more mutual perception.