Mascha, Marian and Mari are three jewellery designers from Melbourne, Australia, who have already shown some of their work at Galerie Ra. In this exhibition, however, they are presenting a broad collection of bracelets, rings, brooches and necklaces. Over the years each designer has developed her own themes and language of form but
all have a distinctive subtlety as a shared quality.

Mascha Moje is inspired by the curious fact that people always come back to wishing to wear shiny materials on their bodies. She explores this phenomenon and translates
it into her own work. She chooses various ways of working and all kinds of materials – silver, steel, resin, polyester, pigment, porcelain and nylon. In her collection of necklaces we see a broad range of interpretations of ‘shiny’, ranging from hard, facetted and sparkling to soft, flowing and transparent.

Marian Hosking’s work has its origins in nature, for instances undergrowth formations or a flight of birds in the sky. Such patterns are conveyed by Hosking onto ‘empty’
square, round or oval silver sheeting and by drilling and sawing she gives them relief. Sometimes the holes are filled with numerous identical elements that move gently
like leaves in a breeze. The sawn-out motifs of the mother-of-pearl brooches contrast powerfully with the smooth, shiny surface.

Mari Funaki’s bracelets and rings have the energy and freedom of an intuitive, quickly drawn sketch on paper. In reality, however, they are meticulously constructed from
thin steel or gold sheeting. During the making of the pieces the form is continuously modified and refined until everything comes together. Funaki is concerned with the
tension and balance of three-dimensionality, with contrast and complexity, with subtle details and shading effects.

Paul Derrez

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