Andrea Itzeck: Revival – Tradition in Modern World
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Alberta Craft Gallery 10186 106 St, Edmonton, Alberta T5J 1H4
Artist Reception: Saturday, March 3 from 2-4pm
We live in a world where there is constant change. Belongings which we felt we absolutely had to acquire not so long ago are suddenly not as precious to us anymore. With her exhibition Revival, Andrea Itzeck proposes a resumption of old jewellery traditions in a modern world.
Andrea worships things which appear to have vanished: old traditions that she remembers from her childhood in Germany. In the past, people wore fine jewellery not just for decoration, but the jewellery had a functional purpose. Lockets were for keeping a child’s first hair curl, a picture of a loved one, or a little secret around the neck. In ancient times, brooches called ‘fibula’ had been used to fasten clothing. Later, many cultures used brooches to hold together scarves, robes, or kilts, and cloth pins evolved into ornamental elements. Daedal jewellery decorated our ancestors’ clothes, giving them a final touch of elegance.
However, history always repeats itself, with styles from the past coming back into fashion all the time. Transforming these old practices to current day art form, Andrea designs and creates innovative, contemporary jewellery.
Andrea is exploring a wide range of shapes and colours and a variety of techniques to combine functionality and design with her jewellery. All pieces have geometrical shapes that mirror nature in a conceptual style. She primarily works in silver and uses specially cut gemstones and elements of gold to give her hand-crafted work a special unique appearance.
Andrea Itzeck is a skilled goldsmith, born and raised in Bavaria, Germany. Since 2007, she has been living in Edmonton where she opened her own studio, Suigeneris. She has been designing and handcrafting one-of-a-kind and custom jewellery ever since. Expanding her artistic ventures, she discovered a passion for printmaking and is working now in both genres, jewellery making and printmaking.