2024-04-18

The AMBER 2024 > Other Criteria exhibition, is a representative review of current amber art, referring to the educational mission that its organiser, the International Amber Association – which brings together almost 300 representatives not only of science and business, but also of creative circles, artists, designers and creators of original jewellery from all over the world – has been following in its 28 years of activity.

The introduction to the amber anthology is a brief history of the origin of amber, a presentation of its varieties and processing methods, and masterful examples of ancient and recent craftsmanship. The essential core of the presentation is formed by a carefully curated collection of almost 100 unique objects by leading amber artists – not only from polish amber smiths as well as jewellery that has been awarded and honoured in the Amberif Design Award and the Legnica goldsmiths' art competitions sponsored by the International Amber Association.

Among the gold and amber artists who have been invited to participate in the exhibition are individuals with exceptional creative, artistic or design portfolios: Andrzej Szadkowski, Jarosław Westermark, Marcin Zaremski, Paweł Kaczyński, Małgorzata Kalińska, Kinga Sulej, Tadeusz Jaskowiak, Adriana Lisowska, Marcin Bogusław, Sara Gackowska, Sława Tchórzewska, Radek Szwed, Sławomir Fijałkowski and Jolanta Gazda, as well as Tri-City-based companies and design studios: Art7, S&A Jewellery Design, NAC Amber, Chilli – Irek Glaza, A2 Jewellery, Aleksander Gliwinski, Ela and Marek Pawłowscy, Tomasz Kargul and Monika Blaszkowska, Giedymin Jabłoński, Dariusz Zarański, Izabela Gutowska and Przemysław Kuś, as well as foreign artists: Heidemarie Herb, Yutaka Minegishi, Ruudt Peters, Ramon Puig Cuyas, Nele Blankaert, Arnald Jorda, Misato Takahashi, Alberto Davila, Silvia Belia, Emma Carrau Bueno and Miriam Arentz. A separate space constitutes jewellery prototypes using innovative CAD/CAM techniques, 3D printing, virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) and parametric design, as well as examples of creative application of artificial intelligence algorithms by students of the Faculty of Design at the Gdansk Academy of Fine Arts.

The message of the presentation is to show the entire spectrum of artistic and performing values ​​of this extraordinary material - from its sculptural possibilities of free form shaping, through the richness of amber's natural features - transparency, internal structure of cracks, opacities, contrast of colors, shades and drawings of individual layers of fossilized resin, to experimental objects, defining the "handwriting" of individual creators - their material, technological, stylistic or narrative preferences.

The curator’s intention for the exhibition is to foster a dialogue about the importance of design and the ways in which it can be promoted independently, transparently and based on the criterion of quality, and without marketing simplifications, in Poland and around the world. We remain hopeful that the proposed presentation format will be well received by professional audiences, and that it will be the first step towards its cyclical continuation in different personal configurations, but always with the same premise – the documentation of contemporary amber art at a world-class level.              

Organisers: International Amber Association, Legnica Art Gallery

Curator: Prof. Slawomir Fijałkowski

Opening: 11.05.2024 (Legnica SILVER Festival)

Location: Satyrykon Gallery, Rynek 36, Legnica