MAKER, ARTS PROFESSIONAL AND CURATOR WITH 21 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
AS A CONTEMPORARY JEWELLER, CRAFTSPERSON & ARTIST.
MAKER, ARTS PROFESSIONAL AND CURATOR WITH 21 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
AS A CONTEMPORARY JEWELLER, CRAFTSPERSON & ARTIST.
MAKER, ARTS PROFESSIONAL AND CURATOR WITH 21 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
AS A CONTEMPORARY JEWELLER, CRAFTSPERSON & ARTIST.
2023
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Moment(o)s of Fragility: Loss/ XO
Recent social, political, economic, environmental and health events have reshaped our physical and mental landscape, impacting our personal, social and professional lives. Moment(o)s of Fragility: Loss/ XO is a new art jewellery project that reflects these challenges, created for Melbourne Now at the National Gallery of Victoria, March - August 2023.
In times of hardship, what do we do? How do we cope? Who do we turn to? What will change, and what should we focus on? What ethics, values and principles will drive us and guide us forward?
If the artist's role is to question and explore life and place, then how we nurture relationships and respond to crises can help us unpack, process, define and transform who we are (or could be) as individuals and society for years to come.
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The artworks Moment(o)s of Fragility: Loss/ XO (2023) created for Melbourne Now speak to universal challenges and personal truths. The collection is weighty and illustrates the current state of overwhelm in the arts, as well as in life and love. Whether neckpiece or brooch, there is messiness and tension in these works, which contain dense elements that overlap, obscure and grate against each other. Loaded with meaning, the work is a melancholic time capsule preserving impactful moments from the past and present while simultaneously embracing a sanguine future.
The collection took time to conceive, problem-solve and realise—more than a project this scale logically should have. The work was emotionally, conceptually, and technically complex, impacted by recent events and made in the shadow of a pandemic as well as climate, economic, arts and personal crises.
Moment(o)s of Fragility: Loss/ XO leans into present overwhelm by finding comfort in the process, embracing the skill, ritual and muscle memory of physically making artwork as much-needed catharsis. The collection is a provocation and vulnerably lays bare how imperfect, layered, and 'grey' life can be.
Forms derived from observations and raw emotions combine to create works that address current challenges. The work is of its time, reflecting the collective trauma of the past three years: it reflects Melbourne now.
Moment(o)s of Fragility: Loss/ XO reframes the negative consequences of recent happenings as opportunities—for healing, learning, strength and hope.
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Neckpiece
Born out of a dark time, Moment(o)s of Fragility: Loss neckpiece is literally and metaphorically weighty. Upon first glance, the artwork could be misconstrued as influenced by Australian Indigenous breastplates, which have (often negative) mixed meanings or Native American breastplates used for ceremony, hunting and protection.
However, Moment(o)s of Fragility: Loss—made in silver, steel and copper with patinas—emerged intuitively, shaped by years of work creating daily art projects (examples below) combined with a fresh take on the ubiquitous 'charm bracelet'.
Conceived centuries ago, charm bracelets embody diverse and often personal meanings, and historically charms were thought to ward off evil spirits and bring protection and luck to the wearer. In modern-day, charm bracelets typically remind us of who we are, whom we have loved, where we have travelled, and what we have been through.
Moment(o)s of Fragility: Loss is a visceral and empowering wearable artwork: pendants replace charms and collapse together to form a cluttered neckpiece that sits across the chest and heart. When worn, the pendants jostle with each other, reconfiguring and messing up any hierarchy of fixed meaning or aesthetics.
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Brooches
Sitting alongside the neckpiece, Moment(o)s of Fragility: XO is an idiosyncratic brooch pair created with former Mourning Series brooches in mind (examples below).
Incorporating the symbology of corsages as a framing device, the brooches thematically mimic the ephemeral wrist posy as objects of generosity and contemplation, gifted by loved ones to honour the wearer. Wearing flowers pinned to clothing dates back to Ancient Greece, when small bunches of fragrant flowers and herbs were worn at weddings to ward off evil spirits.
Moment(o)s of Fragility: XO is loaded with personal history and meaning, marking a transformative moment in time. Acting as symbols of strength, they are a call to action, imploring people to treat each other with love, compassion and reciprocity—principles to live by daily.
Moment(o)s of Fragility: XO is a solemn yet hopeful artwork. Conceived out of compounded traumas (small 't'), the sculptural brooches melancholically acknowledge the past while acting as reminders to hold one's values close while mindfully moving forward.
XO
Sim Lüttin, 2023
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List of Work
Moment(o)s of Fragility: Loss 2023
neckpiece
sterling silver, copper,
steel and patinas
390 x 190 x 25 mm
330 gms
POA
Moment(o)s of Fragility: XO
(X/ Kisses) 2023
brooch
sterling silver, copper, steel,
onyx, hematite and patinas
83 x 80 x 37 mm
155 gms
POA
Moment(o)s of Fragility: XO
(O/ Hugs) 2023
brooch
sterling silver, copper, steel,
onyx, hematite and patinas
100 x 75 x 33 mm
150 gms
POA
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Thanks & Deepest Gratitude
The National Gallery of Victoria, particularly Simone LeAmon, Curator of Contemporary Design and Architecture, for including me in Melbourne Now—the recognition means a lot. My family, Jill, Kurt, Monique, Lynne, Peter and Sue, as well as Catherine Bell, Karen Hewitt, Honor Freeman, Em Bissland, Lisa Warrener, Norman Rosenblatt, Julie Blyfield, Victor Griss, Joanna Bosse, Susie Oryzak, Kate Larsen, Sue Lorraine, and other dear friends (Catherine, Mike, Rod, Anne, Adam, Bronwyn, Kirrily, Donald, Mandy, Ben, Jo, Nicole, Liz, Trent, Lauren, Alex, Sonia, Tiarney, Julia, Sophie, Lisa, Jen, Katrina, Lindi, Bernie, Kath, Nikki, Tam, Abby, Amy, Vince, Randy)— your unwavering support, wisdom and encouragement in sound as well as difficult times is why this work exists.
XO
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Celebrating new and ambitious local art and design, Melbourne Now will cross a range of contemporary disciplines, including fashion and jewellery, painting, sculpture, architecture, ceramics, video, performance, printmaking and publishing.
The inaugural 2013 exhibition was an unprecedented survey of some of the most exciting local contemporary practitioners. Ten years on, Melbourne Now 2023 will again highlight the latest art, architecture, design, and cultural practice shaping Melbourne.
A cornerstone of the first Melbourne Now, Community Hall will return as a space to gather, connect and celebrate Melbourne’s diverse and creative communities, as well as popular NGV Kids interactive projects.
Bold in scale, Melbourne Now will be displayed throughout all levels of The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, including permanent collection galleries showcasing new works and commissions by emerging, mid-career and senior practitioners and local collectives.
FREE ENTRY
Opening 24 March
—20 August 2023
The Ian Potter Centre,
NGV Australia, Fed Square
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Jewellery Now
Jewellery Now presents a focused display of 12 artists, which enunciates why Melbourne is a global capital for contemporary jewellery.
Jewellers include Anke Kindle, Aphra Cheesman, Beverley Meldrum, Cassie Leatham, Claire McArdle, Danielle Brustman, Inari Kiuru, Katherine Hubble, Katheryn Leopoldseder, Laura Deakin, Lisa Waup, Marcos Guzman, Paul McCann, Sim Lüttin, Tessa Blazey.
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