Silver Triennale International 2019 : A Closer Look at Contemporary Silver Craftmanship

A Closer Look at

Contemporary Silver Craftsmanship

by Karolina Stefanski, Ph.D.

Fig. 1. Juliane Schölß, Group of vessels with a tray. © Photography by Eva Jünger

The Silver Triennale International is a triannual competition that supports art and craftsmanship of contemporary silversmithing and metal design worldwide. It is organized by the German Association of Goldsmiths’ Art (Gesellschaft für Goldschmiedekunst) and The German Goldsmith’s House Hanau (Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus Hanau), a town in Hesse, Germany, about 25 km east of Frankfurt.

Ever since its 1932 founding in Berlin, the Association of Goldsmiths’ Art (Gesellschaft für Goldschmiedekunst)1 emphasized the promotion and encouragement of silversmiths and their work by organizing competitions with specific themes, e.g.

“The Silver Beaker” (1932),

“The Silver Lidded Container” (1933), “Cigarette Boxes and Cases” (1935),

“The Silver Coffee Pot” (1958/59), “ The Silver Sport Medal” (1963) etc.

In 1965, the decision for a recurring exhibition of contemporary European silver was made and the first Silver Triennale took place in 1968 at the Goldsmith’s House in Hanau in cooperation with the arts and crafts

museum Handwerksform Hannover.2

Since 1992, the silver exhibition has been an international competition, open to practicing silversmiths, metal designers, artists, and artisans worldwide.3 Over the last fifty years, and as a result of multiple generous sponsors, the Silver Triennale International has transformed into an internationally recognized and renowned competition and exhibition.

Last year’s Silver Triennale International, which was the nineteenth year, included 123 renowned silversmiths, metal designers, and emerging artists from nineteen countries. The competition’s theme was “New Design Ideas for Hollow-

and Flatware.” Although the majority of the Silver Triennale International participants were from Germany, many others hailed from the United Kingdom and as far away as Asia.4

From the large repertoire of metal objects presented in this international traveling exhibition and competition, the jury selected eighty-one outstanding objects, representing a wide range of innovative ideas expressed in various materials, techniques and concepts. These outstanding vessels included teapots, coffee pots, water jugs, bowls, flatware, cutlery, candlesticks, and jars, as well as a few abstract objects. Reviewed by distinguished jury members, the selection of objects demonstrates the

Fig. 2. Sungho Cho, Bowls. © Photography by Kwangchoon Park

Fig. 3. Sarah Cossham, Vessels “The Pair” and “The Three Sisters”. © Photography by Mirei Takeuchi

Fig. 4. Jerome Funk, Bowl. © Photography by Andreas Decker

Fig. 5. Philipp Gröninger, French Press Coffee Pot. © Photography by Philipp Gröninger

Fig. 6. Naama Haneman, Vessels “The Calm before the Storm”. © Photography by Boaz Nobelman

highest level of originality in the twentyfirst-century art of silversmithing.

The exhibition jury members consisted of three experts and specialists in their field pertaining to silversmithing, artistic knowledge, and craftsmanship: Maike Dahl, a graduate designer and practicing gold- and silversmith based in Hanover, Germany; Simone ten Hompel, silversmith and metal worker, graduate of the Royal College of Art in London and lecturer at CASS London Metropolitan University; and Sabine Runde, Ph.D., a senior custodian and curator of applied art at the Museum of Applied Art in Frankfurt (Museum Angewandte Kunst Frankfurt). These three experts and specialists based their selections on novel design ideas, which were both original

and beautifully crafted.

Three monetary prizes are awarded to three winners of each Silver Triennale: The first prize is known as the “Ebbe Weiss-Weingart Prize” (5,000.00 €), and was presented to Juliane Schölß for her group of multiple colorful vessels on a tray (Figure 1). The second prize, known as the “Robbe & Berking Prize” (4,000.00 €), was awarded to Sungho Cho for his dishes crafted from thin sheets of silver presenting various patterns (Figure 2). And the third prize, named “Ebbe Weiss-Weingart Silver Prize” (3,000.00 €), went to Sarah Cossham for her work of vases entitled “The Pair” and “Three Sisters” (Figure 3).

In addition, an emerging artists contest is supported by the Lions

Club Hanau and Heimerle + Meule, Germany’s oldest gold and silver refinery from Pforzheim. This emerging artist contest is awarded with a “Youth Promotion Prize,” offering four prize categories (endowed with 7,500.00 € in total).5 The first “Youth Promotion Prize” went to Jerome Funk and his work in form of a strainer (Figure 4), an everyday object featured in an artistic way. The second “Youth Promotion Prize” was awarded to Philipp Gröninger and the French press coffeepot (Figure 5). A third prize went to Naama Haneman and her duo-work of a candleholder and matching cup (Figure 6). The last prize was awarded to Daphne Spiegel and her fruit bowl (Figure 7).

I’ve divided some of my favorites

Fig. 7. Daphne Spiegel, Fruit bowl. © Photography by Andreas Decker

Fig. 8. Dubong Kim, Vase “Nature”. © Photography by KC Studio, Seoul.

Fig. 9. Dong Hyun Kim, Vase. © Photography by Myoungwook Huh, Munch studio

artworks into three categories: 1) vessels with a nature-inspired design and surface, such as Dubon Kim’s vase entitled “Nature” (Figure 8) and Dong Hyun Kim’s vessel (Figure 9); 2) vessels with an extremely simple yet sophisticated and timeless look, such as Marit Bindernagel milk jug and sugar sprinkler set (Figure 10)—all of these objects were raised by hand, hammered, and mounted; and 3) artistic objects, such as David Huycke’s “Dark Moon” (Figure 11) attracted my attention for its innovative approach and symbolic background. Tzu-Hsiang Lin’s object “The Dancing of Emptiness” is also striking in its complex conception with intricate and complicated construction (Figure 12).

Aspects of the Silver Triennale International center around its global

attraction, fostering and representing silversmiths and artists worldwide. In order to be considered truly an international event and receive a worldwide distinction, it is essential for the Silver Triennale International exhibition to travel beyond European museums and institutions, which of course requires a larger budget for advertising, exhibition travel, and insurance. Moreover, the jury could invite more diverse and cosmopolitan members from international universities, studio workshops, galleries and institutions to give the competition additional global recognition. Finally, the award ceremony could take place in different establishments in order to endorse the art of contemporary silversmithing and the Silver Triennale International worldwide.

The 2019 Silver Triennale International competition catalogue is a beautifully art-illustrated book that combines a contemporary layout design with clearly accompanied photographs of each object on neutral backgrounds. It presents different fonts (bold and regular) to easily follow and distinguish between German and English texts. The cover features the winning artwork, setting a trend for presentday silversmithing craftsmanship. The catalogue is printed on high-quality paper with a high-quality binding. It is divided into six sections: a foreword of the Association of Goldsmiths’ Art President, Mr. Hartwig Rohde; a presentation of the jury members; the essay “The many lives of a silver object” by David Huycke; “Remarks on the 19th Silver Triennale” by Christoph Engel; followed

Fig. 10. Marit Bindernagel, Milk jug “Schütte“. © Photography by Marit Bindernagel

Fig. 11. David Huyke, Object “Dark Moon”. © Photography by David Huycke.

Fig. 12. Tzu-Hsiang Lin, Vessel “The Dancing of Emptiness”. ©

Photography by Henry Photo Studio

by a presentation of the award winners, the participants, and their respective artworks; ending in biographical information of each participant. The catalogue makes a wonderful gift for any lover of silver.

If silver aficionados and collectors are interested in honing their expertise and cultivating their taste for contemporary silver, this is an exhibition to attend. The Silver Triennale 2019 exhibition was inaugurated at the German Goldsmith’s House Hanau (Deutsches

Goldschmiedehaus Hanau) on October 27, 2019, and ran through January 9, 2020. Currently, it is on view at the DIVA Museum in Antwerp, Belgium, from January 24 through April 19, 2020. Following Antwerp, the exhibition will travel to the Silberwarenmuseum Ott-Pausersche Fabrik, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany and the Wasserschloss Klaffenbach, Chemnitz, Germany.

NOTES

1. The Association of Goldsmiths’Art has moved its seat to the German Goldsmiths’ House (Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus) in Hanau, Germany, since 1985 and has been operating a jewelry museum there since 2006.

2. Handwerksform Hannover is a local arts and crafts museum and has been offering artisans, craftsmen, and designers, especially from Hanover,

Lower Saxony, Germany, and other countries a platform for presenting their work since 1963. See: www.hwk-hannover.de/.

3. Hartwig Rohde, “Foreword,” in Silbertriennale International Silver Triennial International, ed. Christianne Weber-Stöber (Stuttgart: Arnoldsche, 2019),7.

4. Ibid.

5. Ibid., 8.

Editor: Christianne Weber-Stöber

Publisher: Arnoldsche (2019)

Hardcover, 160 pages, 25 x 17 cm, 110 illustrations, text in English and German

ISBN: 978-3-89790-566-5

To order online: arnoldsche.com/en/product/silver-triennialinternational-3/; $50.00 plus shipping

Karolina Stefanski was awarded a Ph.D. in art history (decorative arts) from the Technical University of Berlin, where she studied under Prof. Dr. Bénédicte Savoy. Her dissertation analyzes the stylistic transformation of French Empire style in silver from Berlin, Warsaw and Vienna between 1797 and 1848. She received a Master’s degree in art history from the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art at Sorbonne University in Paris and a Bachelor’s Degree from Suffolk University in Boston. Contact: karolinastefanski@mac.com.