Märta Mattsson
Jewellery maker
Gothenburg, Sweden
Recommended by Jean Blanchaert & Irina Focsaneanu Eschenazi
Slugs, snails and fine details
- Märta creates jewellery from insects using electroforming and resin casting
- Her focus is on creating lifelike pieces that might crawl away at any moment
- She explores the Japanese concept of kimo-kawaii through her pieces
Märta Mattsson’s artistic practice is shaped by her complex feelings toward insects, which both attract and repulse her. She grew up in a family of biologists and briefly considered a career in their footsteps, before turning to studying jewellery making. “A major turning point for me was during my master’s studies at the Academy of Art and Design of Gothenburg when I worked on a project called Wear Your Fear,” she says. After interviewing others about their fears, Märta felt inspired to create from her own feelings about insects. She now makes jewellery from real insects, such as butterflies and beetles, by mastering the techniques of electroforming and resin casting. Märta views it as a rebirth for the insect and continues to put respect for her subjects at the heart of her practice. She relies on trusted, ethical suppliers and does not work with endangered insects.
INTERVIEW
I grew up around biologists but I was still scared of little insects. My jewellery is my way of reframing my fear. I take real insects and transform them into these colourful, jewelled creatures. It is my take on kimo-kawaii, the Japanese concept of the tension between attraction and repulsion. I transform something I would usually find repulsive into something beautiful.
First, I lacquer the dried insects by hand, then I paint them with a conductive silver paint. In the electroforming bath, copper ions build a thin skin over the specimen. It is a delicate balance. If I leave them in for too long, the metal swallows all the tiny details that identify an insect.
Beetles are usually very static and symmetrical on paper. I like to make them feel alive. I break their tiny arms and re-glue them or rehydrate the joints to allow them to move around. It is a very detailed process that creates a great tension. I want it to look like a creature from the fantastical Narnia tales has landed on you for a second and might rush away if you move.
Blending old and new methods is a key part of my practice. I love mixing traditional metalwork with alternative materials like resins, glass and found objects. I strengthen the big beetles with resin so they can be sturdy enough to wear as a necklace without breaking. By carving into the insects and filling them with vibrant colours, I create these hybrid pieces.
