Art Meets Jewellery: 20 Years of Galerie Slavik Vienna

The Viennese gallery Slavik has been exhibiting international contemporary jewellery art of the highest quality for 20 years. The rotating bronze disc above the entrance beckons the visitor to enter into a unique universe and into a singular architectonic design concept. As a meeting place for artists, collectors and museum professionals from all over the world, it is the goal of the gallery owner Renate Slavik to provide a deeper understanding of the fascinating nature of contemporary jewellery art. Since 1990 the former antique dealer has supported unique, handcrafted jewellery with her enthusiasm and vision. "Art on the body" made of paper, synthetic material, tin as well as traditional "ingredients" like gold, pearls and diamonds are displayed in her changing exhibitions. In the gallery artistic impetus has been provided by Annelies Planteydt and Gijs Bakker from Holland; from international masters of studio jewellery such as Giampaolo Babetto or from the Padua School of Francesco Pavan. The gallery´s repertoire includes avant-garde jewellery by Annamaria Zanella, Jacqueline Ryan, Stefano Marchetti and Giovanni Corvaja as well as the geometrical creations of David Watkins or the golden bracelet discs by Okinari Kurokawa. The Catalan Massana School of Joaquim Capdevila and Ramon Puig Cuyas with their colourful, narrative style; Helfried Kodre´s brooches and ring sculptures as a three-dimensional, spatially-extended implementation of geometry; Michael Becker´s clear, architectonic language of form; or the works with moving surfaces by Yasuki Hiramatsu represent different expressions of contemporary jewellery work. The doors stand wide open to the up-and-coming generation of craftsmen - one of the gallery owner´s favourite tasks is to scout out young talent such as Miriam Hiller or Isabell Schaupp.