The exhibition Beware of BEWAREN, collected work of various jewelry artists who, each from their own perspective, have reworked the objects and its history in a contemporary interpretation. From feminist empowerment, the reanimation of old objects, interrogations of labor, and critical reflections on the medium itself, to other current approaches that enter into an ongoing dialogue.

The spoonbox series (2024) forms the starting point of these works. Originally designed to keep spoons safe and present them elegantly, this object is tripped back to its essence. The outer layer of the boxes has been removed, creating a blank canvas that points back to the beginning. The maker, the construction, the identity of the object itself. 

The spoons traditionally kept inside these boxes are deconstructed into sculptural fragments. They return to the boxes, but without their original function. What once was a utensil becomes a memory. What was protected becomes revealed.

A brooch system, developed from the inner structure of the spoon boxes, creates a wearable translation of safekeeping. The holders that once supported the spoon reappear as forms that can be fastened underneath clothing. A spoon element is clipped onto them, shifting part of the box onto the body. Safekeeping becomes intimate, the object gains a new place close to the wearer.

Text © Ingrid Verhoeven

Shown in 2025 at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, BE as part of Obsessed! Jewelry Festival.