A Study in Serenity
Artistic director Younghee Suh strikes the perfect balance between art and meditation for the latest Perlée collection from Van Cleef & Arpels. By Abdul Aziz Draim.
It comes as no surprise that as we adapt to a life in lockdown, reminiscing on days of travelling and being outdoors, nature remains a constant inspiration for the creative mind. “Last summer, I went to the pebbled shores of Mongdol Beach on Geojedo Island, Korea,” recounts Korean artistic director Younghee Suh. “Each small pebble twinkled like gold beads when waves washed over them, reflecting the splendour of the setting sun. This is what the Perlée collection instantly reminded me of.” Suh is commenting on her recent collaboration with jewellery maison Van Cleef & Arpels, in what has become something of an annual tradition. It began in 2018, when the Maison first approached the Korean creative to create poetic pictorials of the loving animal couples from their high jewellery collection, L’Arche de Noé racontée par Van Cleef & Arpels. The year after, Suh lent her artistic eye to the Maison’s Heritage collection, followed by her reimagining of the Lucky Animals collection in 2020. And now for this year, it’s all about the Perlée collection. The Perlée collection is known for the shiny small golden beads that dress its many accessories. In this latest partnership, Suh showcases the collection in a new series of fine art photography that is emblematic of the beauty and majesty of the gold crafts that Van Cleef & Arperls is famous for.
To echo the curves of the Perlée beads, the artistic director incorporates the natural beauty of pebbles and rocks into her compositions, creating meditative studies between the natural and the exquisite. “Nature’s pebbles and rocks are popular materials among Asian artists, probably because they seem serene,” Suh shares. “For these photographs, I was influenced by Park Hyunki’s artwork. This Korean video artist scattered pebbles in his Mandala series and even built pebble towers in other works. I drew inspiration from his artworks and decided to place Perlée creations on top of these seemingly calm pebbles.” In the resulting visuals, the rocks and pebbles become not just mere props for the jewellery— together as a complete composition, they project an image of serenity birthed from a symbiosis of form, balance and beauty. “The golden beads, with their perfect curves and brilliance, contrast with the small pebbles created by Mother Nature but they also cohabit with them,” Suh explains. “This is a relationship worth celebrating.” We couldn't agree more.