Sofia Björkman – “Bow” brooch, 2019. 100x80x30mm, silver, steel. Jewelry techniques.
#6, GALLERY PLATINA, STOCKHOLM (SWEDEN)
THE GIRL WHO MAKES SILVER SENSUOUS
May 2nd-5th 2024
Château-musée Grimaldi, Place du Château, First floor, Carlone Room, 08600 Cagnes-sur-Mer
Sweden has a long tradition with silver, including periods where it was used as currency and status symbols. When we, as students in the 1990s, learned to make coffee pots and decorative objects, many of us with artistic ambitions protested and pursued our own paths. However, there were role models, such as Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe, who used low-cost materials that she found, aiming to create jewellery that women could acquire themselves and that was easy to wear. The last time I met her was during my studies at Konstfack in Stockholm. She came to see a performance and was so impressed by it, expressing: “this is new and contemporary!” The next day she returned, we had lunch, and she gave us some materials from what she had collected, that we could use if we wanted. I was inspired by her passion and strength, exactly what a student needs. Thank you, Torun!
Torun, as she was called, went her own way. 1958 she moved to the French Riviera (Côte d’Azur). Here, she established her workshop and found pebbles on the beach that she used in her jewellery, which have become collector’s items. It was here she met other artists such as Picasso.
So, for Destination Bijou at Château Grimaldi in Cagnes-sur-Mer, we, as Swedish jewellery artists, would like to honour Torun and show how we work today and have developed into independent silversmiths and jewellery artists. The title of the exhibition, “The girl who makes silver sensuous,” is taken from a headline of an article in The Star Weekly Magazine from 1962.
After graduating from Konstfack in Stockholm in 1999, I co-founded PLATINA with two colleagues. Over the years, we have worked internationally and organized exhibitions. We have collaborated with amazing artists whom we believe are addressing contemporary issues and expressions.
Sofia Björkman / PLATINA
Artists in the exhibition
Sofia Björkman – @sofia_platina
Klara Brynge – @klarabrynge
Hanna Havdell – @hannahavdell
Catarina Hällzon – @catarinahallzonjewellery
Åsa Lockner – @asalocknerjewellery
Annika Pettersson – @annikapettersso
Annika Pettersson – “Remember the sea” brooch, 2023.
100x100x30mm, Mother of pearl, shell, sterling silver, oak. Mixture of techniques.
Catarina Hallzon – “Birch Barch” necklace, 2024.
230x230x5mm, Silver. Same as Birch Barch weaving technique.
Photo: Sofia Bjorkman
Åsa Lockner – “X” brooch, 2020.
80x80x30mm, Silver. Jewelry techniques
Hanna Havdell – “Meadow” brooch/pendant, 2023.
90x65x3mm, Silver. Casting.
Klara Brynge – “Grids” pendant, 2021.
80x65x5mm, Silver, nylon. Jewelry techniques.
Photo: Sofia Bjorkman
