Artist：Kathleen Ryan
Year：2023
Kathleen Ryan’s works often encompass sculpture and jewelry art, employing media such as colorful gems and semi-precious stones, including aventurine, prehnite, chrysoprase, agate, Swarovski crystals, quartz, and freshwater pearls. Her creations critique modern society’s materialism and wealth inequality by using materials traditionally associated with beauty to craft works with a decaying or unsightly appearance.
Kathleen’s application of precious gems to themes of decay and deterioration, this striking contrast between materials and themes, has inspired me to explore innovative uses for different materials in my project.
4 Comments
Add Yours →This is a quite special work.
I think I’ve seen her work elsewhere before, and again, it’s rotting objects made of jewellery, but common fruits like oranges and lemons. I think she wanted to show rotting objects made of gorgeous jewellery, to show her artistic idea through such a contrast.
Wow, It’s a compelling commentary on how we perceive worth in materials and forms, forcing us to confront the uncomfortable beauty in decay. Visually mesmerising!
I have never seen this design before and it is very new to me.