Ruudt Peters
Qi
June 11 – 16, 2013
Rubber / Aluminum Bracelet, Originally designed in 1973, unlimited.
Symbol (Spear), bracelet, 1986, gilded brass, 5.31 x 1.97 x .2 inches
Seven Symbols
Ruudt Peters introduced a series of seven armbands in paper-thin gold over a brass core. They are displayed to us on little scarlet pillows, or on pedestals. Each bracelet forms a distinctive line around the wrist. It is a three dimensional symbol, with a concrete but personal symbolic value for the artist. The shapes refer to ideas and feelings which are important for him. For instance, the image of the fish has gained a deeply charged meaning from its use in the Christian church. There is one form which shows a great affinity with architecture, the art par excellence within which meaning is constructed by means of symbols. There are also references to human relations. Ruudt Peters has “symbols” – well-known figures in the jewellery world – wear his symbols. Michel Szulc Kryzanowski photographed them with the armbands. For what purpose? They have added meaning. Added? They would object to that formulation. They have made inherent values accessible. They do justice to modern jewellery. “Desire is greater than being,“ Ruudt Peters asserts. Desire always overreaches boundaries. It exists thanks to those boundaries. Desire plays a definitive role in art and in the art world. The artist seeks to give form to what presently has no contour. The art world wants the artist to succeed in that. Everyone involved desires that the desired should exist. We often act as if the desired reality can be forced. Ruudt Peters’ presentation makes one stop and think. All that glitters is not gold. Fortunately, despite the little velvet pillows, his work remains exquisite. Here the desired becomes real.
Ans van Berkum 1987
Ear Capital, 1986, ear clip, gold, pearls, 18 x 9 x 7 mm
Capital, brooch, 1983, screen print on formica, 10.25 x 2.1 x 0.15"
Gratie (Omega), 1986 gold gilded brass, ping pong ball.
place ball behind shirt, press into the gilded form on outside of shirt.
Symbol (Cloud), 1986, bracelet, brass, gold plated, 4.25 x 3.94 x .2 inches
Dedicated To, 1988, brooch, steel, 9 cm Ø x 17mm
Wolftand, 1984, ear clips, silver and gold, 14 x 13 x 5 mm
Capital, bracelet, 1983, screen print on formica
Symbol (Fish), 1986, bracelet, gilded brass, 4.72 x 1.69 x .79 inches
Gratie (Cross), 1986 gold gilded brass, ping pong ball.
place ball behind shirt, press into the gilded form on outside of shirt.
Dedicated To, 1988, brooch, steel, 9 cm Ø x 17mm
Capital, bracelet, 1983, screen print on formica
Beginning in the 1970's, Ruudt Peters, a pioneering Dutch conceptual jewellery artist, challenged traditional definitions of adornment by pushing the boundaries of context, wearability, materials and presentation. A leader in art jewellery in Holland, Peters exemplifies a mode of expression that is unmistakably Dutch.
He has exerted a strong influence on the development of contemporary jewellery as an artist and as a professor at some of the most prestigious universities in Europe, the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam and Konstfack University of Arts and Crafts in Stockholm, where he was teaching till 2009. At the moment Peters is professor at Alchimia Contemporary Jewellery school, Florence, Italy
CODA Museum, Appeldorn, NL
through January 28, 2018
CODA Museum presents a retrospective of the works of visual artist and jewellery designer Ruudt Peters in the exhibition BRON (Source). BRON gives an overview of Peters’ rebellious jewellery from the early seventies to the more profound works based on the exploration of other cultures, customs and habits from a more recent period. His work is exhibited in a special multimedia installation that offers a unique view on his oeuvre.
Work from the permanent collection of the Stedlijk Museum including Ornamentum artists Iris Eichenberg, Ruudt Peters, Gerd Rothmann and Tarja Tuupanen on exhibition.
Pictured: exhibition view including Passio Senouda by Ruudt Peters. Two of these works were created, one is in the Stedelijk Collection, one is at Ornamentum.
