Congratulations to Dixin Zheng and Grace Miell on being shortlisted for the MullenLowe NOVA awards 2022!
Dixin’s work interrogates the relationship between time and matter, body and environment, past and present. In her defiance of the lines separating jewellery and conceptual art, Dixin’s interactive pieces reimagine the notion of jewellery and have the potential to adorn the body in a multitude of ways. Inspired by naturally occurring textures, these works are meant to emulate the effects of time on matter. The interactive synthesis of metal and eggshells reflects the sturdiness which delicate things often possess.
Interpretative text by Abdulrahman Al Ibrahim, BA (Hons) Culture, Criticism and Curation
Subversive in its nature, Grace’s collection, which she calls “Mockarchy”, overturns the idea of who gets to wear a crown. By appropriating the regal image of crown jewels, but making them out of found laughing gas canisters, her pieces humorously re-distribute power, giving authority to the streets. In this reimagined context, the crown takes on a new symbolic meaning rooted in punk and anti-establishment sentiment. Grace’s labour-intensive processes challenge ideas about what is valuable, what is discarded and what is recyclable.
Interpretative text by Matilda Finkman, BA (Hons) Culture, Criticism and Curation