Silke Lazarević
Jewellery maker
Husum, Germany
Advocacy shining through jewellery
- Silke's jewellery practice is rooted in a committment to social justice and fair trade
- She works with niche materials such as genuine parchment and pig bladder
- She is a member of applied arts associations
Silke Lazarević creates jewellery pieces guided by respect for the environment, material sensitivity and global awareness. She spent her childhood years in Africa, observing her father’s development aid work, which shaped her understanding of global interdependence and the consumption of resources. Silke later trained as a goldsmith, studied jewellery and product design at university and apprenticed in a master’s workshop. "Combining delicate structures with conceptual depth, my experimental and innovative designs explore the expressive qualities of materials such as parchment and silver," she says. In 2007, Silke switched her material sourcing to fair trade precious metals, and now almost exclusively works with natural materials in her artistic work. "As a mother of three, I feel a sense of responsibility toward the next generation," she explains.
INTERVIEW
Jewellery pieces are wearable artworks and expressions of personality. I have always been fascinated by the opportunity to shape the creative process from the initial design to the finished piece with my own hands and with any materials.
In 2015 and 2016, I worked with refugees and together, we explored their stories through art. This collaboration gave rise to what I consider my most significant work, the video installation Mare Nostrum.
Jewellery making is an ancient profession with room for a lot of innovation. It requires patience, enthusiasm, creativity and an eye for detail. With its wide variety of techniques and materials, the craft offers a vast range of creative expressions.
I have been exploring the possibilities of genuine parchment for years. I experiment with shapes, joints and surface treatments. Today, I am interested in imperfections and markings that absorb colour differently than the surface itself.
