Eva van Kempen + Mapungubwe Re-Mined

Jewelry That Makes You Think.

Join us Wednesday July 29, 2020 , for AJF Live HEAVEN IN NEW HAVEN: AMERICAN JEWELRY AT THE YALE UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY . Free, and open to members and non-members alike!

For more information and to register follow this link .

What time?

9 a.m. PST: San Francisco

10 a.m. MST: Denver

11 a.m. CST: San Antonio, Mexico City

12 p.m. EST: Toronto, NYC, Santiago

1 p.m.: Buenos Aires

5 p.m.: London

6 p.m.: Oslo, Paris, Capetown, Brussels

7 p.m.: Bucharest, Athens, Israel, Estonia

11:00 p.m.: Thailand

1 a.m. on July 30: Korea, Japan

2 a.m. on July 30: Sydney

Image captions: (Top) Thomas Gentille (American, born 1936), Brooch, 21st century. aircraft plywood, pumice, paint, bronze, stainless steel, 95 x 66 x 14 mm, Yale University Art Gallery, Gift of the artist in memory of John Paul Miller, courtesy Helen Drutt; (bottom) William Harper (American, born 1944) Grey Mystery Brooch ,1979, gold and silver cloisonne enamel on copper, 14-karat gold, sterling silver, bronze, copper, pearls, 124 x 79 x 22 mm, Yale University Art Gallery, Janet and Simeon Braguin Fund

ARTICLE

THE ARTIVIST

Ethics and Aesthetics in Eva van Kempen’s Artistic Practice

by Ilaria Ruggiero

After surviving a serious disease, Eva van Kempen became fascinated by manmade medical materials and medicine. She feels that these materials, designed for the human body, have the perfect scale to become jewels. Driven by an urge to reanimate safe hospital waste—outdated intravenous systems, syringes, and expired medicine—van Kempen aims to honor these materials. The works invite the viewer to look with new eyes and rethink prevailing notions on medical materials, societal issues, or even humanitarian ones . In her latest pieces, she analyzes the impact of regulation on abortion laws, which, both individually and collectively, represent one of the key elements in the thermometer of a democracy and the respect for human rights.

Image caption: Women on Web campaign image, featuring Eva van Kempen’s Lady Liberty, from the Freedom as Luxury series, 2020, crown, expired abortion pills, PVC film, artificial leather, steel, spring steel, photo: Pedro Brito Da Fonseca

What are you thinking about? Submit a proposal with your article idea to be considered for publication on AJF. Be a part of the conversation.

The next submission deadline is September 7, 2020.

FEATURED LIBRARY ARTICLE

Mapungubwe Re-Mined: Creations of Contemporary Jewellery Design

by Beverley Price

"The article reflects my interest to redress, through my jewelry and sculptural objects, the social and cultural imbalance which the South African jewelry and mining industry symbolized during apartheid, and for which there has never been a truth and reconciliation commission," says Price. "Seeking hybridized jewelry forms, between western and African aesthetics, has been a personal symbolic act of reconciliation. I have been a post-apartheid jewelry activist, addressing issues including South Africa's racist mining history and the life of Nelson Mandela. I have attempted to bring awareness and to venerate the pre-colonial gold skills of indigenous Southern Africans, and to democratize jewelry in South Africa by creating a 'leveller-range' which incorporates popular brand labels recognizable to all."

SUBMIT TO AJF'S LIBRARY

AJF believes that making information available about jewelry as an art form is an important step in advocating for the field. Our digital library supports the jewelry community by providing online access to jewelry scholarship that would otherwise be impossible to find.

The library has a new feature that prevents PDFs from being downloaded. Just check the appropriate box when you submit—this will allow people to read the texts, but protects you from undesirable access and distribution.

Please share your digital media .