Vital links. An exploration of the jewellery practice of Sofia Tekela Smith and Areta Wilkinson.

Abstract

An understanding of jewellery as functioning as an avenue of communication and a means of connection is central in the practice of contemporary New Zealand artists Sofia Tekela Smith and Areta Wilkinson. Although Wilkinson and Tekela Smith’s work is very different stylistically and in terms of influence, it is these visual spaces of communication that remains a constant in the practice of both artists. My thesis aims to provide a reading of the jewellery practice of these two artists into one that goes beyond the purely aesthetic, one that develops a relational understanding of their work. The ways in which these relationships have been articulated and developed within the specific characteristics of the mediums in which they use have been discussed in each chapter. These have been explored within three broader themes of culture, personal and collective history, and gender with a focus on the female stereotype. Each chapter has addressed these relationships within the context of specific examples of each artists work. Each theme has been developed through the visual exploration of these works within shared narratives and areas of visual and thematic connection.