Jewellery with art at heart
CLEOPATRA was often covered in gold jewellery encrusted with precious gems, valuable insets and, if Julius Caesar’s infatuation is to be fast-forwarded t hroughout millennia, the art of jewels and the beauty it radiates has become the hallmark not only as an accessory to beauty, but as a statement of the individual.
It’s easy to forget that the gorgeous earrings or the chunky necklace donned today or every day may be the product of hours of design and imagination. Kevin Friedman is a jeweller whose art speaks volumes. The Art of Jewels exhibition, which takes place this weekend at Doornfontein’s Art Eye Gallery, reminds us exactly what the art in the accessory means. Friedman, a well-known jeweller and artist in his own right, will show a collection of exceptional pieces in a display titled Frankli Wild.
Friedman’s work is powerful in its beauty and essence. It also returns the art of adornment to organic creativity.
“All the pieces are made with found objects which could be anything from a high-carat valuable gemstone to plastic toys, because I believe that anything that has aesthetic has a real value,” he says.
Friedman adds that he is involved in several community projects in norther n Gauteng and Mpumalanga and, as a consequence, there is a strong Ndebele influence in his work.
The Frankli Wild exhibition takes place this weekend at the Art Eye gallery, 5th floor, Ellis Art studios, 23 Voorhout Street, New Doornfontein. Call 011 402 0154.