Upcoming: ‘Unclasped’ @ Hellenic Museum

It’s not usual for me to write a special post to talk about an upcoming exhibition … but I like to do this for friends from my RMIT days.

Dr Nicole Polentas … yes, she’s a Doctor now! … is curating an exhibition that will shortly open at Hellenic Museum in Melbourne.

‘Unclasped: Discovering Contemporary Greek Jewellery‘ is “an exhibition of contemporary jewellery objects, bringing together and examining the practices of twenty-two artists of Greek descent currently working in Greece, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Cyprus and Australia.

The exhibition aims to provide a platform for contemporary thought in order to highlight the work of both established and emerging international Greek artists.

Exploring the connections between the manufacture and the act of wearing jewellery, the works encompass a wide variety of contemporary jewellery making techniques and mediums; expressing the diverse nature of modern jewellery practice within the Hellenic diaspora.

Exhibiting Jewellers: Aggelika Diplari, Akis Goumas, Anastasia Kandaraki, Artemis Valsamaki, Christina Karakalpaki, Constantinos Kyriacou, Danae Natsis, Demitra Thomloudis, Dimitris Nikolaidis, Efharis Alepedis, Erato Kouloubi, George Giannoutsos, Ismini Pachi, Liana Pattihis, Mala Siamptani, Maria Tsimpiskaki, Nicole Polentas, Niki Stylianou, Poly Nikolopoulou, Vicky Kanellopoulos, Vivi Touloumidi and Zeta Tsermou”

[text from Hellenic Museum site]

The exhibition will run from 6th February to 3rd April 2016, and there are many associated events such as artist floor talks.

Check out Nicole’s facebook page for progress shots of the amazing exhibition space (designed by Christopher Earl Milbourne) and events.

exhibition media

exhibition media

Get along … I expect to see you there!

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Please also see:

• Artist Profile: Nicole Polentas (May09)
• Toowoomba Contemporary Wearables 2009 (Sep09)
• ‘XAOS‘ @ Hellenic Museum (Apr10)
• her presentation as part of RMIT seminar ‘Jewellery Practice as a Site of Enquiry‘ (Aug10)
• Nicole Polentas & Christopher Earl Milbourne ‘Psychomanteum‘ @ Counihan Gallery (Oct11)
• if you search for Nicole’s name on my blog you get 12 pages of results – that’s how much I write about her and how many times she’s included in various exhibitions; the above listing includes the major solo posts
• Nicole Polentas ‘Reinventing a Sense of Place: Crete and the Jewellery Object‘ (Apr15)

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Nicole Polentas ‘Reinventing a Sense of Place. Crete and the Jewellery Object’ @ RMIT School of Art Gallery

Regular readers will know of my bold parochial support of the beautiful souls I studied my RMIT degree with … and it’s with immense pleasure I visited one of our number’s PhD exhibition today.

Nicole Polentas has studied with passion and intense commitment for just over ten years now, and it is beyond incredible to see selected pieces from over the years in one place: ‘Reinventing a Sense of Place. Crete and the Jewellery Object‘.

exhibition installation

It was unexpected, but I confess I was a little emotional walking through the exhibition. I remembered the first time Nicole experimented with her now-signature text ribbons; there are only a few moments when you can say you were there to witness the start of something beautiful.

The pieces are without question extraordinary; the exhibition design gorgeous and perfect.

exhibition installation

I completely adore the constructs that underpin the front-facing elements … clean lines and beautifully executed. And her exploration of more colouring in her work is promising and brings an extra dimension; I especially like the pinks and greens. The materials listing is interesting in that it includes ‘Greek coffee’ and I wondered where it was used, perhaps in the resin components?

exhibition installation

The work is personal; the stories close to the surface; her sharing generous and genuine; her intent clear.

I must admit to perhaps being too close to Nicole and her work to give an objective reading of the exhibition [though in reality, I rarely give objective do I(!)]. I think that knowing the artist means I see more layers in the work than a new observer may (maybe) and am too connected to be able to offer anything other than superlatives.

exhibition installation

I do hope that in time her exegesis will be available for public reading.

I offer Nicole my warmest heartfelt congratulations and look forward to seeing her continued explorations and shows!

‘Reinventing a Sense of Place. Crete and the Jewellery Object‘ was a one-night-and-day only (examination) exhibition.

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Please also see:

• Artist Profile: Nicole Polentas (May09)
• Toowoomba Contemporary Wearables 2009 (Sep09)
• ‘XAOS‘ @ Hellenic Museum (Apr10)
• her presentation as part of RMIT seminar ‘Jewellery Practice as a Site of Enquiry‘ (Aug10)
• Nicole Polentas & Christopher Earl Milbourne ‘Psychomanteum‘ @ Counihan Gallery (Oct11)
• if you search for Nicole’s name on my blog you get 12 pages of results – that’s how much I write about her and how many times she’s included in various exhibitions; the above listing includes the major solo posts

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Please click below to read more of the media release (from her Events page):

Schmuck 2014: congratulations!

Congratulations to those selected to exhibit in Schmuck 2014.

Especially Australian jewellers:

• Nicole Polentas
• Bin Dixon-Ward
• Laura Deakin
• Sally Marsland

information provided

Nicole Polentas ‘Collective Conundrum’ @ Chili Art Gallery (Athens)

I am so excited for Nicole – she has a solo exhibition in Athens opening this week, curated by Christopher Earl Milbourne.

‘Collective Conundrum‘ is at Chili Art Gallery from 19th to 27th July 2013.

Press release:
“The Collective Conundrum is an exhibition of jewellery objects examining meta-narratives of place and identity. Each object presents itself as an amalgam of analogous perspectives, posing in an amalgamation of convoluted realities.
The foundation of the objects are built upon the re-contextualisation of traditional folklore and popular music throughout Greek history. This becomes a transformation into material form, mediating a transmission of conventions. The script is systematically structured with cultural and historical representation, which in turn presents itself as a visual puzzle.
The Collective Conundrum investigates and re-defines notions of identity and cultural authenticity, through an array of subjective signifiers. It examines the ways in which we think about cultural images, by portraying them in a new way. Through a coalescing of media, mimicry, satire and image saturation, the objects evaluate and reconfigure stereotypes, dispensing a matrix of alternate perspectives. The Greek character, the archetype, the hero are studied and manipulated, presenting a conundrum of contrasts.
The jewellery becomes the mediator and interface between what is real and what is myth.
The objects form a collective, consisting of metaphors and illusory contradictions.
Within the layers of complexity a sublime harmony is revealed!”

Exhibition media

Exhibition media

For more on Nicole’s work: see my artist profile, all my stories about her, and her ‘Pschomanteum‘ exhibition at Gallery Loupe.

Also see Chili’s facebook page for more images of Nicole’s work in this exhibition.

Wish I was in Athens!