JOANNA MACH
JOANNA MACH
BY DEGREES
The exhibition presents two collections of the artist: "Aesthetics of the Circus World" and "Eldorado". Both were the culmination of very important stages in her creative life. The first - defense of the BA thesis, the second - MA thesis created under the supervision of dr Sergiusz Kuchczyński, at the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź. Despite the various themes raised by her in these works, the collections look great as a whole and show the progress, but also the consistency of the style as well as the skills and sensitivity of the artist. The title "By degrees" refers to a consistent and conscientious pursuit of the chosen goal. To the setting new goals for herself after reaching those planned earlier.
Part I "Aesthetics of the Circus World" is a collection consisting of seven necklaces and two bracelets. They refer to the phenomenon of the "new circus" and show the author's insights regarding the beauty and the phenomenon of these performances without the participation of animals. When designing jewellery, she pays attention to the refined aesthetics of performances, diversity and magical quality of these shows. The created objects resemble the form of circus props and elements of artists' costumes. The whole collection is accompanied by the character of the "past modern" trend and inspiration with circus films, especially the short work Fri "The Forgotten Circus," directed by Shelly Love, in which Ringmaster from his last breath, breathes life back into the waking up of a dream, a circus. Jewellery was created using experimental techniques, using, among other things, laser cutting in various materials (such as plexi, organite, silicone) or blowing glass
Part II "Eldorado" is a series of works inspired by the legendary city Eldorado, which was to be almost made of gold. A man based on the unique qualities of this metal granted him divine nature and even metaphysical abilities. For some, the discovery of a land full of gold was the greatest dream. The foundation of the legend is the story of the ritual of appointing a new ruler that took place in the culture of the pre-Columbian tribe Muisca. He covered the raft with resin and golden dust, he removed the collected preciousness and threw it into the water as a gift for the gods. News of incredible treasure fuelled expeditions in search of gold and soon Eldorado became a synonym of the land of perfect, fulfilled dreams. The collection of jewellery is a reflection of the artist's desires for people of the 21st century: love, power, wealth and beauty and eternal youth. All objects are made of gold-plated brass. In this case, the artist used the technique of casting as well as laser cutting. The most interesting element of the collection are castings removed from soaps, empty in the middle.
Joanna Mach, born on July 17, 1992 in Rzeszów, began her artistic education at the Artistic Secondary School in Rzeszów in the field of metalwork with elements of jewelry. She continued her studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, where in 2015 she obtained bachelor's degree in jewellery design, and then her master's degree in the same field. Both works received the commission's approval and received a very good grade.
Currently, together with Dorota Staniec, she creates a design and executive duo under the brand groovy. Groovy jewellery is characterized by: precious materials, sensuality, support of culture through musical inspirations and resurrection of traditional craftsmanship, above all through the use of jewellery enamel.
