In The Studio with Vikki Kassioras

on 22nd June 2023

Vikki-Kassioras-In-The-Studio

Inspired by history and mythology, the jewellery of artist Vikki Kassioras is imbued with stories that started long before her metal meets the hammer. Kassioras expertly weaves the threads of time with traditional and modern day making techniques to create pieces that are textural, spiritual and sublime.

Next week at e.g.etal Vikki is releasing the first glimpse of a brand new series of work; a continuation of her Mountain series that flow into new softer and water-like forms, referencing the meandering and spontaneous pathways we all move through in life. We catch up with Vikki in her new studio to find out how life has been recently, and how this new collection came to fruition.

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m working on some private commissions for some lovely customers of mine who have been very patient while I have moved studios. They are very important things that I have to get finished. And I am also working on a new collection for e.g.etal. I am really excited, as I have had this work in the back of my mind for a while. I started making it last year and sort of stopped and now I have picked it up again and I am looking forward to showing you all in late June.

How is this work different to what you have made in the past?

The collection for e.g.etal is a natural progression from my Mountain series, and while the pieces are still quite textural like my Mountain rings, they have a much softer texture. It looks like water moving or soft terrain as opposed to the more rugged terrains I’ve referenced before. The carving process has been very different from what I have done in the past and it’s been quite lovely. I’ve also paid a lot of attention to the colours of the stones I have used, choosing pieces that have interesting characteristics and inclusions, celebrating the joy of their intrinsic beauty.

How did this collection begin?

My dad actually asked me to make a ring for my mum years ago for a special birthday – one of those birthdays with a zero on the end. She loves aquamarines and she is a water sign so I wanted to encapsulate the idea of water moving and that’s how this new carving style came along.

Vikki-Kassioras-1

You’ve just moved to a new studio space. Do you think this new environment has brought fresh inspiration and new aspects to your practise?

It’s a bit early to say as I’ve only just settled in, but I do think that being a lot closer to home has been really great. Being able to drop by the studio on a Sunday afternoon when I feel like it has been really easy. So I think making jewellery is going to be more a part of my life on a daily basis rather than feeling like it can only be Monday to Friday.

What transformative effect do you hope your pieces will have on your clients when they are worn?

I hope they grow wings and fly! [laughs] I really just hope people feel good wearing it. I hope it makes them happy to look down at a ring or feel some earrings against their neck, or find something in my jewellery that reminds them of something they love. I think that’s all I could ever ask for really.

What does contemporary jewellery means to you? What relationship do you think it has to its wearer?

I think contemporary jewellery is about making something authentic to me, and that comes from the things that I see and am inspired by. Something that’s of its time and expresses what is happening now. That can be in material or design, or about having something that’s really relevant to you whether that’s emotionally or just because you find it beautiful.

Vikki Kassioras Workbench

Do you think that’s why you like jewellery as opposed to other art forms? Because it’s something that you wear so close to you?

Well, I can’t paint, so I had to go for the next best thing! But what I love about jewellery is the physical making of it. The carving of wax, the casting, the hammering. The act of making something and at the end of your day there is something physical there. That’s what I enjoy about jewellery and I think that’s why maybe if I had been born 100 years ago I would have been a boiler maker. But here I am born in Melbourne right now so I am a contemporary jeweller.

Your work is steeped in history and mythology. Tell us about the materials you chose for these pieces. Is there a history or secret world hidden within them?

I think there is always a secret world within something that you’re making. There is always a personal story in my work that I don’t always share. The inspiration can come from something I’ve thought about in the last 3-6 months, but it can also come from a thought I had or something I saw years ago.

I also collect things and often I can’t make something out of them for a while because I need to look at them a bit longer. I think there is the collector in all of us that is part of that story. I know every jeweller has a box of gems or materials they love so much that it is just inspiring to have these things and look at them. But I really hope that people can connect their own story. It means one thing to me, but when someone else sees it, it can connect to something which is very personal to them. The beauty of jewellery is that you actually get to wear that piece which resonated with you. It’s also really special when people give my pieces as a gift to someone else. It’s nice to be part of that in some way. Even if I don’t get to see it, but I hope that’s what happens.

What are you hoping to achieve in the next year in regards to your practise? Any personal goals for you?

I hope that I can solidify this new series, and start using things that I have held on to for a while to make some special pieces that won’t be repeated again. I hope to really hone in on the things that interest me, and refreshing my practise by making unique and one-off pieces, instead of trying to do everything. There are definitely some new projects on the horizon.