AURORA: New Jewelry by Mia Maljojoki

AURORA: New Jewelry by Mia Maljojoki

March 28  through April 29, 2012

Artist’s reception Friday, March 30  from 6 to 8 pm

Velvet da Vinci is pleased to present AURORA: New Jewelry by Mia Maljojoki. This exhibition is inspired by the ethereal glow of the Northern Lights in her native Finland.  The exhibition will open on March 28 with an artist’s reception on Friday, March 30, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae) is a natural light display in the sky particularly in high latitude (Arctic and Antarctic) regions, caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere. ( Wikipedia )

The recent increase in solar storms of the last few weeks has created some of the largest and most dramatic aurora displays in years. Mia speaks of the aurora borealis as a comforting and reassuring presence in the night sky. Her new jewelry pieces reflect the forms and colors of this ghostly and beautiful phenomenon.

Artist statement:

For this series, I have worked with textiles to capture color and movement in object form. Through an iterative process of dyeing, sewing, painting, stitching, and dipping simple fabrics are transformed into ephemeral yet wearable skyscapes of hue and shade.

Mia Maljojoki is originally from Finland and is now based in Munich. She received her BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston and subsequently studied at the famed Akademie der Bildenden Künst in Munich with Otto Künsli. In 2010 Mia Maljojoki received the prestigious Herbert Hofmann Award for outstanding artistic achievement in jewelry.

Mia Maljojoki will also speak at the California College of the Arts as part of their Design and Craft Lecture Series on Wednesday March 28 at 7 pm in Nahl Hall on the Oakland campus.

Click here for more information on her lecture:
http://www.cca.edu/calendar/2012/lecture-mia-maljojoki