Results of the 27th International Amber Jewelry Design Competition AMBERIF DESIGN AWARD
AMBERIF Design Award (ADA) is a competition that has accompanied the Amberif Fair in Gdańsk for 27 years. Its aim is to promote Baltic amber as a means of artistic expression. The competition is held every year under a different theme. Each edition attracts new artists from different parts of the world, and the resulting exhibition presents works that will remain in the memory for a long time.
On February 12, 2024, the two-stage deliberations of the jury of the 27th International Amber Jewelry Design Competition AMBERIF DESIGN AWARD ended. The competition received a record number of works: 229 artists from 32 countries around the world submitted 295 works. Artists from all over Europe, as well as from non-European countries, competed for qualification for the exhibition and prize, including: from Australia, Argentina, China, Iran, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, USA, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates. The jury was composed of: Katharina Kielmann from Vienna - art historian, curator of jewelry exhibitions, Carina Shosthary from Munich - goldsmith, graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, Anders Ljungberg from Stockholm - professor at the Faculty of Jewelry and Objects of Konstfack University and Sergiusz Kuchczyński from Łódź - running the Jewelry Studio at the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź.
The jury's task was to select 26 works for the exhibition and award prizes: the Grand Prix of the competition - the Mayor of Gdańsk Award, the Silver Award - 1 kg of silver funded by the Gdańsk International Fair and the Amber Award - 0.5 kg of amber funded by the International Amber Association.
The theme of the competition was "Symbol of Hope". The interpretation of the topic and the use of amber in the work were the main criteria for selecting the works for the exhibition. The competition jury was exceptionally unanimous and unanimously awarded the Grand Prix to Tadeusz Jaśkowiak for the "Inkluzja" pendant. The winning work is a pendant whose central element is a silver gun trigger.
A piece of natural amber placed in a strategic place makes it impossible to fire a shot, and at the same time it is the main, decorative element of the work. The extraordinary power of the work's message and its universal message moved the jurors, and the high craftsmanship of the work only confirmed their decision.
Tadeusz Jaśkowiak - "Inclusion"
The winner of the Silver Award was the German artist Miriam Arentz. Her "Radiance" brooch resembles a puzzle composed of silver and amber elements. Amber is the focal point of the brooch: its luminosity symbolizes inherent optimism and the glow of hope. Contrasted with dark, solid silver elements, it creates a fascinating visual dialogue between light and shadow, optimism and sadness. The jurors were delighted with the poetry of this more abstract way of approaching the competition topic and its technical perfection.
Miriam Arentz - "Radiance"
The Amber Award went to Teresa Dantas from Portugal. The jury appreciated the beauty and rich narrative of the work "Empyrian of Eden", which is both an object and jewelry. The part detached from the object becomes a separate work - a pendant. Its shape brings to mind a lamp, and amber, which is its light, adds depth and symbolism. The title of the work refers to the heavenly sphere, referring to spirituality and the hope of achieving perfection.
Teresa Dantas - "Empyrian of Eden"
The jury also decided to award an Honorable Mention. It was received by the Swede - Tor Legernaes for the "Eternal Flame of Hope" ring. According to the jurors, this work shows the enormous potential of jewelry as a carrier of meanings and symbols. What caught their attention was the creator's ability to convey maximum content in a minimal form.
Tor Legernaes - "Eternal Flame of Hope"
Artists qualified for the exhibition: Andrzej Adamski and Bogumiła Adamska, Poland; Miriam Arentz, Germany; Petra Boehler, Germany; Andrzej Boss, Poland; Teresa Dantas, Portugal; Dehkhoda Tannin, UK Britain; Sławomir Fijałkowski, Poland; Maja Góralczyk, Poland; Martin Grosman, Czech Republic; Dominyka Gulbinaitė, Lithuania; Tadeusz Jaśkowiak, Poland; Marcela Kindl Steffanová, Czech Republic; Biljana Klekachkoska, Germany; Legernaes track, Sweden; Adriana Lisowska, Poland; Maral Rangamizyazdi, Iran; Wojciech Rygało, Poland; Kairi Sirendi, Estonia; Hanna Targońska, Poland; Pasqualina Tripodi, Italy; Marcin Tymiński, Poland; Mikołaj Tymoszuk, Poland; Klaudia Walkusz, Poland; Aina Wang, China; Xiangzhi Zhao, UK Britain
The organizer of the AMBERIF fair is AMBEREXPO - one of the most modern exhibition and congress facilities in Poland. We specialize in organizing local, national and international events: fairs, exhibitions, congresses, conferences, events, fairs, outdoor events.
