The body is the immediate context of jewelry. And even when we're talking about magical, talismanic, or religious ethnic jewelry, who wears it and for what purpose plays a huge role. In this unique exhibition, which transports us to the farthest corners of the world, we'll present an incredibly colorful and exotic image of ethnic jewelry from the collection of Maria Magdalena Kwiatkiewicz.
The main reason she travels is people – their everyday lives, work, culture, and the inextricably linked religion. Maria Magdalena Kwiatkiewicz, a traveler, collector, and finally, a businesswoman, invites you on a journey whose directions are defined by jewelry and the people who endow it with a special, often magical, meaning.
India, Nepal, Papua, Cambodia, Ethiopia, China, Tibet – these are just some of the countries from which the collections of ethnic jewelry come. At the invitation of the organizers of the autumn edition of the Amberif Fair, they will be visiting Gdańsk. The exhibition will be complemented by photographs taken during the trip by Maria Magdalena Kwiatkiewicz. All the objects on display, nearly 90 of them, constitute a significant code for a given tribe, a nonverbal message informing about their origins, religion, and position in the community.
This significance is exemplified by African necklaces, commonly referred to as desert passports. Tuareg crosses are made of string and metal, which connect the wearer with the Saharan people, revealing their identity and origins. The pendant's unique shape and engravings reveal the traveler's origins. Each oasis has a unique, distinctive cross shape, revealing features of the surrounding landscape, such as the surrounding hills and even the number of wells. Therefore, the wearer is not anonymous to the Saharan people, and therefore more likely to be offered shelter.
A different, yet equally significant, meaning is held by a large silver pin with carefully embossed Buddhist symbols characteristic of Tibetan culture. Worn as a garment, it serves to hold clothes—specifically, the wide, colorful belts worn by local women around the waist. How did Maria Magdalena Kwiatkiewicz come into possession of this item? While traveling through the Tibetan Plateau, she encountered a woman herding yaks wearing just such an ornate clasp. She never parted with it—the family's greatest possession—for a moment. According to tradition, she was to give the pin to her daughter only on her wedding day. The traveler bought it from its owner, and with the money she earned, she was able to commission new clasps for all her descendants.
The exhibition opening will take place on the first day of the Fair on Thursday, August 29, 2024, at 4:00 p.m. in the Art Zone – HALL B – of the Amberif fair.
During the exhibition, the YES Gallery will be conducting curatorial tours twice daily at 12:00 and 16:00, and on Saturday, August 31, 2024, at 11:00 and 14:00. On August 29, 2024, there will also be an opportunity to talk in person with the author, Maria Magdalena Kwiatkiewicz.
Admission to the exhibition is free for all AMBERIF guests.
Her two great passions – traveling and photography – grow stronger year by year. Traveling to the farthest corners of the world with her camera in hand, she sets out to meet people, because they are the most important to her – both in her personal and professional lives. She is fascinated by so-called ordinary people, whose uniqueness she remembers through photographs and their emotions. Landscapes and exotic settings are enchanting, but they are merely a backdrop to what matters most – the relationships she forges, the customs she learns, and the everyday challenges of families she meets on the edges of the world. It is people, in the context of their immediate surroundings, that she places at the center of her photographic series, of which she has already produced dozens, and which she has shared with great pleasure for over a decade with cultural and art institutions, preferably organizing exhibitions in the urban fabric – on the streets. She is committed to the broadest possible access to knowledge and the element of goodness, which she strives to bring back from every trip.
Maria Magdalena Kwiatkiewicz, co-founder of YES Jewelry, is not only an exceptionally empathetic traveler, but also a passionate enthusiast and seasoned connoisseur of Polish design, which she has been introducing to the market for 40 years. Currently, she owns the largest private collection of contemporary and ethnic jewelry in Poland, numbering over 1,600 pieces, brought back from her travels. She also fulfills her inner desire to promote Polish goldsmithing through the YES Gallery, established 24 years ago and located in Poznań's Old Town. "My world has always been filled with jewelry, both in my professional life and my great passion for beauty and design. I adore ethnic jewelry, which I bring back from the farthest corners of the world and which I use to enrich my collection, and it brings me particular joy," says Maria Magdalena Kwiatkiewicz. "I find even greater satisfaction in collecting contemporary jewelry, especially unique pieces that often set new trends in design and goldsmithing in general," she adds.
The latest work of Maria Magdalena Kwiatkiewicz is the book "Goldsmith Artists, Conversations on Polish Jewellery".
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