Janja Prokić

Mystical collections

• As a teenager, Janja used to sell her handmade beads
• She studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague
• She uses the lost wax casting technique

Janja Prokić's jewellery pieces seem to emerge from a natural dreamland; even the simplest ones look like they come from a mystical creature. The award-winning jewellery maker Janja admits that dreams and nature inspire her a lot, along with her personal life. "Everything I make is based on what I am going through at the time. My collections are sort of diaries," she says. She took a meandering path to jewellery making, starting out as a painter, then turning to sculpture, before finally graduating as a jewellery maker. Essentially, she is characterised by a determination to do whatever she wants. She loves to travel and move to different places – always with her tools packed, of course. "That's one of the aspects I love about my craft: you can pack it into a suitcase."

Interview

©Michaela Karasek Cejkova

©Michaela Karasek Cejkova

What is the most distinctive feature of your work?

I love to walk on the very edge of kitsch. Working with an ornament and leading it to the stage right before it becomes kitsch is my favourite challenge. So there's something peculiar about my products, yet they still give quite a classic impression.

Would you call yourself a traditionalist?

I guess I'm more traditional than innovative in terms of technique. But regarding my approach, I always play with meaning. What exactly is a piece of jewellery? How practical should it be? What is wearable and what's not? Does it spark emotion?

Do you remember every piece you make?

Of course I do. To be honest, I make all my products kind of for myself; they are part of me. So I care about someone who wants to purchase the original, because that person doesn't just buy a mere piece of jewellery, but a piece of myself, too.

What advice would you give to beginners in this field?

To be stubborn and hardworking! They should talk less and work more. It’s always important to know what you want to do, regardless of success. You can’t do it without love. If something is only done with the intention of winning, it loses everything.

Janja Prokić is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2011

Works

©Štěpán Mamula

©Štěpán Mamula

©Štěpán Mamula

©Štěpán Mamula

©Štěpán Mamula

Where