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Idiots present “Amazons” at Ornamentum
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April 21 to May 20 Afke Golsteijn & Floris Bakker present “Amazons” at Ornamentum in Hudson, NY
April 21st to May 20th, Afke Golsteijn & Floris Bakker present “Idiots” at Ornamentum in Hudson, NY. No animals were harmed to create these jewelry pieces/artworks.
Amazons
From its roots in Greek mythology to the pop culture superhero identity of Wonder Woman, the name Amazons evokes images of a wild beautiful warrior woman, a fiercely seductive tribe of outcast survivors, confident within herself and prepared to battle the patriarchy when necessary.
Repurposing “outcast” taxidermy animals*, Idiots give them new strength and beauty in contemporary tribal necklaces that can be at once unnerving and intriguing.
Idiots work has been exhibited worldwide and can be found in numerous international private and public collections, including the Museum Kiasma, Helsinki, Finland, the National Museum for Architecture and Design, Oslo, Norway, and Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).
* No animals were harmed to create these jewelry pieces/artworks.
Idiots (Afke Golsteijn & Floris Bakker)
Grey Goose, 2018
necklace, taxidermy grey goose, clay, string
17.5 x 12 x 1.5 inches
44.5 x 30.5 x 3.8 cm
Idiots
The art of the artist duo Idiots, by Afke Golsteijn and Floris Bakker, is characterized by the use of animal material that is carefully patched up and put into significant positions, combined with rich materials such as embroidery, pearls, and gold.
A contemporary touch is given to the classical memento mori concept, questioning the way the world nowadays seems to be determined by nothing else than just marketing. In a constantly twisting play between fantasy and reality, Idiots emphasizes the borderline between life and death.
The striking beauty and the vividness of the animals that figure in the works provoke an immediate attraction, but directly after the first glance one starts wondering what is going on exactly, thrilled by the perspective of transience that is brought forward.
Animals are reborn to remind people of the life they lived, but also to suggest an alternative history, in which they rule the world. From a similar moral perspective, Idiots criticizes the contemporary way of life, although the representation of these famous stories is not the duo’s main aspiration. If one can speak of a certain objective in Idiots’ art it is to bring people closer to an honest perception of reality pictured through a lens of critical fantasy.
Idiots (Afke Golsteijn & Floris Bakker)
Pheasant Long Tail, 2018
necklace, taxidermy pheasant, clay
34 x 12 x 1.25 inches
86.4 x 30.5 x 3.2 cm
Ornamentum
Founded in 2002, Ornamentum Gallery exhibits a dynamic collection of contemporary jewelry as well as related objects and artworks. Ornamentum hosts numerous exhibitions yearly in one of the world’s largest gallery spaces dedicated specifically to contemporary jewelry/artworks where featured designers/artists often display their work in conceptual installations. Co-directors Laura Lapachin and Stefan Friedemann founded the gallery after themselves being educated as jewelers/designers in the USA and Germany, these experiences put to work in the gallery setting have earned them international acclaim as impeccable and discerning curators.
In addition to the gallery, situated in picturesque Hudson, NY, Ornamentum exhibits regularly at international fairs and holds the distinction of being the first gallery for jewelry to be accepted as an exhibiting gallery at the prestigious Design Miami, as well as at the Basel, Switzerland venue of the same fair. Ornamentum can also be visited at the Collective Design Fair in New York.
With an eye towards the conceptual side of the jewelry field, Ornamentum is known as the source for intelligent, provocative and historically important works from a roster of the most consequential international designers/artists – established and emerging. Ornamentum Gallery has placed important works in numerous public and private jewelry, art and design collections worldwide, boasting a clientele range from collectors, museum institutions, architects, designers, and consultants, who trust Ornamentum to put forth the best examples of works befitting their particular needs/wants.