Ruudt Peters
Qi
June 11 – 16, 2013
Passio Bassianus, 1992, oxidized silver, pearls, cotton thread.
In (Ruudt Peters') collection Passio (1992), consisting solely of pendants, the use of symbols became crucial. Some pieces, such as Machiavelli, Isis and Alexis are completely covered, overloaded with symbols of all kinds of origins – the meaning of which remains quite obscure, while the effect is heavily strong because of all hidden meanings presumed to be there. The titles refer to historical and biblical figures. Together with the forms of the pendants which somehow reminded of vessels for incence holders used in Roman Catholic ceremonies, these jewels had a fairly ritual and religious character. The ceremonial character was intensified by the installation in which they were shown in the gallery – each piece hidden in a sort of shroud of blue-purple gauze netting that hung from the ceiling to the ground. Today we cannot imagine the astonishment and hesitancy of the audience in 1992, confronted with this rather unconventional presentation of jewellery. Nobody had seen a thing like this before, and it took some courage to open the veils and to look inside, facing the jewel directly. Ruudt Peters had found a new way to present his jewellery, by asking commitment of the audience.
Excerpted from Jewellery Is My Laboratory by Liesbeth den Besten, Metalsmith Magazine, July, 2007
Passio Bassianus, 1992, oxidized silver, pearls, cotton thread.
Passio Senouda, 1993, silver, goose egg, graphite
Passio Senouda, 1993, silver, goose egg, graphite
Passio Marie, 1993, pendant, silver, 3.54 x 1.57 x 1.57 inches
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.
