Contemporary Applied Arts is delighted to present a new exhibition, From the Mountains to the Sea. Join us on a journey from the rugged peaks of the Dolomites to the coral reefs of Sardinia through the works of four makers who meld tradition and innovation, taking inspiration from Italy's rich artistic history and personal connections to the ltalian landscape.
Featuring new work from Delfina Emmanuel, Mara Irsara, Josef Koppmann and Scott Benefield, the group show concludes our exhibition series 'British-Based: Global Origins', which centres the cultural diversity of CAA.
Delfina Emmanuel grew up surrounded by the traditions and perfumes of Sardinia, a land rich in marine life, with ancient customs that have survived the passage of time. Her current practice is informed by her native culture with its music and folk-costumes of luxuriant materials, adorned with precious jewels and her early education in classics, in particular the fairy tales and symbolisms found in Latin and Greek mythology. Emmanuel is particularly captivated by the gentle flowing of the living creatures found in the seabed: protruding coral structure tentacles, the huge variety of these porous sponges, the ways in which they take different shapes and the porosity and patterns of their surface.
The ornate, brightly coloured sculptures of the Renaissance artist Lucca della Robbia, whose Madonnas in deep cerulean blues still adorn many churches in Florence, were an early influence.
The artistic revolutions of the Renaissance also run through Scott Benefield's glass work, which finds its roots in the nine centuries of Venetian glassblowing and its traditional emphasis on finely detailed handblown wares. The development of cane techniques on the Venetian island of Murano during the Renaissance was a departure from the traditional method of glassblowing. Working with cane, patterns are composed of separate pieces of glass that are fused together to comprise the walls of the vessel.. As the object is subsequently blown, stretched and tooled into its final shape, the resulting patterns of loops and swirls show the traces of the glassblowing process. Scott's tableware marries these ancient Murano techniques with minimal, clean forms that are both playful and strikingly contemporary. Each piece retains the hallmarks of handblowing, with slight variations that show its handmade, unique nature.
Craftsmanship is at the centre of Josef Koppmann's work as a jeweller and goldsmith, creating imaginative jewellery pieces that pair vibrant gemstones with bold geometric lines. Born and raised in the Italian Dolomite Mountains, he studied at the Arts and Crafts College in Vienna and returned to Northern Italy where he completed an apprenticeship. His practice is based on traditional goldsmithing techniques, playing with the contrast between light and shadow in pieces that combine silver with the warm, supple surface of hand forged gold and the deep colours of druzy agate, opals and aquamarines. His distinctive style melds feminine and masculine ideals in unisex pieces which are made to be passed down the generations and treasured for decades to come.
Mara Irsara was also raised in the Dolomite Mountains, where green pastures dotted with Alpine cattle give way to rocky peaks. Trained as an architect and now based in East London, her jewellery riffs on primordial geometric shapes, adopting repeated patterns and motifs drawn from many sources. Her set of Dolomite rings are a love letter to her birthplace, reducing the silhouette of the mountains, complete with gold summit cross, into wearable form. The 'Peaks' set abstracts the Alpine landscape even further, echoing the shapes of mountain tops and fir trees into playful, dynamic jewellery pieces whose individual components come into sensory life when worn.
From the Mountains to the Sea runs from 1 - 26 October 2024.
