Attai Chen was born and raised in the Jerusalem “of gold and copper.” With his creations he wants to remind us that contemporary jewels are the fruit of design that is in continuous evolution, ready to include new shapes materials and ideas.
His jewels are winning because they rely on chance, spontaneity, asymmetries and imperfections. These pieces feature sharp geometries and a futuristic dynamism that fearlessly evokes the intimacy of decadence and the frenzy of the modern world. Brooches and necklaces born of fragments of recycled paper, glued one on top of the other and then cut into coarse materials to be assembled in three-dimensional shapes. Jewels with biomorphic shapes that have the rough feel of terracotta. Rugged encrustations, modern and vulnerable desert roses covered with poured resin to make them resistant to the passing of time.
The Compounding Fractions line brings to mind the explosive vitality of a voyage to the depths of the earth where the craftsman’s hand transforms raw, crystallized material in a Boccioni-style wave. The style of Chen’s creations takes on his Middle-Eastern origins, which resurface in the high-level design and genuineness of shapes. In the Repetitions series, the designer relies on spurious materials and Baroque shapes to explain the ambivalence of the relationship between Israelis and Palestinians, highlighting the interdependence between the two cultures despite decades of conflict.
Attai Chen lives and works in Munich where he attended the prestigious Akademie der Bildenden Künste. He has many projects for the future. After participating in the contemporary art show “Collect” organized by the Saatchi Gallery in London (http://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/collect/), on June 7 the Gallery Loupe in New Jersey, U.S.A., will kick off a show in his honor (http://www.galleryloupe.com/exhibitions.php?sn=0&exhibit=52).
He recently won the Andy Bronfman prize for 2014. The prize is given to an Israeli decorative artist. Chen will be recognized with an anthological show at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. (Vogue.it)
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