“The forms are directly influenced by a consideration of both nature and the cultural environment in which they were made. This is why I chose not to use overt Australian imagery. I like for pieces to be explored by the viewer. If the imagery is too obvious, and everything is stated, then there is nothing left for the viewer to explore.”
The Heide Museum of Modern Art is intrinsically linked to the modern and contemporary within Australian arts and culture. With this in mind, e.g.etal is delighted to announce the beginning of its partnership with Heide, curating a selection of contemporary jewellery by Australian artists for sale in the Heide store. This presence, as with our partnership with the National Gallery of Australia, is the product of e.g.etal’s commitment to bringing the best of Australian and New Zealand contemporary jewellery to a wide audience of admirers.
Since September 2010, e.g.etal has curated a collection of jewellery at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. This cross section of our represented artists brings a range of the best contemporary jewellery to the nation’s capital.
NC4 is a new Melbourne-based initiative driven by the remarkable individual practices of its founders as well as a mandate to share their collective knowledge, skills and techniques through a program of mentorships, seminars, access studios and workshops, for those with and without previous training (so there is hope for us all)…
We recently commissioned seven artists to make a piece of jewellery. Their brief was simple: take an item once belonging to an e.g.etal staff member and recycle, recreate, re-imagine it. These items came with their own story, were given a new one by each artist and now they wait for their new owners. We’ll be handing these pieces onto new owners via our Facebook page.
“I believe to entwine different cultures into jewellery is a way to carry those cultures and memories with you, no matter where you are on this planet. It is also a way to share those experiences with people around you.”
e.g.etal recently hosted an evening in which we presented a collection of over 100 precious gems from all over the world. The gallery became a studio in which Katherine Bowman, Julia deVille and Emma Goodsir explored ideas, designs and stories with clients who chose a stone (or stones) to form the basis for pieces of jewellery.
As part of its philosophy to support emerging designers, e.g.etal once again awarded a prize at the NMIT graduate jewellery exhibition, ‘Auteur’. The prize was awarded to Henrietta Walker…
e.g.etal wanted to support a more personal and real celebration this Christmas. Inspired by Mexican festive traditions, we are embracing the community spirit to bring you the magical cycle of days.
“Mari was a visionary with clear and wonderfully uncompromising views of her chosen art form. As such her own work was perfectly defined and her gallery became a mecca for all aspiring jewellers…”
As part of our philosophy to support emerging designers, we have established the e.g.etal Graduate Award. This year the NMIT e.g.etal graduate award went to Sarah Heyward.
As an artist there is no long-service leave, golden handshakes, gold watches and even public recognition can be hard to come by. In light of this, e.g.etal organised Christmas drinks for all our artists and the presentation of our Decade of Dedication Award to the four artists who have been with us for 10 years: Anna Davern, Camilla Gough, Nicky Hepburn and Amy Renshaw.
