The Art of Engagement

New Zealand and Australia seem like natural allies. Both countries were colonised by the ‘motherland', England, and both are geographically isolated from the self-proclaimed contemporary jewellery epicentre - Europe. Yet despite some historical exchanges, and past trans-Tasman exhibitions, long lasting jewellery relations to date remain relegated to a series of ‘almost-rans'. Is the work incompatible? Are our cultural experiences too disparate to allow any meaningful connections?

In October 2010, an exhibition of work by fifteen NZ jewellers went to Sydney, Australia, under the title, Touch, Pause, Engage. The exhibition was intended to offer the Australian community a glimpse into the contemporary jewellery scene in Aotearoa, New Zealand. The title fittingly referenced the calls a referee shouts out before two rugby teams lock down into a scrum. Re-presented at Objectspace in 2011 as The Art of Engagement, the curators, Kristin D'Agostino and Raewyn Walsh, have this time around lined up the work of fourteen Australian makers alongside the New Zealand fifteen. The result is a diverse and exciting new showcase of Australasian jewellery practices.

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