A Bit of Clay on the Skin: New Ceramic Jewelry

A Bit of Clay on the Skin: New Ceramic Jewelry explored the manifold appeal of ceramics, especially porcelain, in jewelry. The exhibition illustrated the versatility and allure of the medium of porcelain, which can be modeled or cast, used alone or with metal, wood, and stone, and vary in color and texture. Best known as the stuff of the luxurious and the mundane, of fine tableware and technical equipment, when used in jewelry, porcelain sparks the visual and physical sensations to become an object of desire. The work of eighteen cutting-edge jewelry artists from around the globe were featured in this show, which included creations by notables like Peter Hoogeboom (The Netherlands), Evert Nijland (The Netherlands), Ted Noten (The Netherlands), Gésine Hackenberg (Germany), Marie Pendariès (Spain), and Shu-Lin Wu (Taiwan). While some of these artists made reference to traditional jewelry in materials and symbolism, others altogether redefined it in substance, form, and matter.

This exhibition was organized by the Fondation d’Entreprise Bernardaud and curated by the renowned German-born goldsmith and jewelry artist Monika Brugger.

Established in 2003 by Michel Bernardaud, the family-run company’s Chairman and CEO, the mission of the Fondation d’Entreprise Bernardaud is to promote a deeper public awareness of porcelain’s fascinating history and extraordinary qualities. The Fondation, located in Limoges, France, welcomes an international array of artists and designers who are invited to invent unexpected usages for porcelain. They also host a summer exhibition in Limoges to highlight seminal projects by prolific contemporary ceramists.