Quality requires study; it demands constantly striving to improve, honesty, authenticity, commitment, humility, faith in beauty, and abandoning the pursuit of instant gratification.
The quality movement worked patiently and silently toward its goals, unshaken by bullying and uninfluenced by the awards and honors even highly reputable institutions granted to botcheries.
The SMCK Fashionable issue presents four major currents that are shaping new looks in fashion, design, applied arts, and jewelry. These emerging trends show how important it is for society and culture to protect, revive, and cherish what is emotionally rewarding and identity-supporting; to endorse tradition and invest it with a contemporary mission; to dare to be outspoken, integral, witty; to defend one's own beliefs and to pioneer progress.
Clothing as resistance & conformity • Grassimesse 2025: Contemporary design in dialogue with its history • The Discourse of Jewelers In Love • Maison Margiela's New Collection echoes Medieval Europe's heritage • Charon Kransen: Most jewelry artists are desperados • The Munich Fashion Award advocates Sophistication & Cooperation • SMCK Major Trends 2025: The Fashionable Catalogue • Adorn Photo Project: The Identities we wear • Greek crafts & literature: The stitches that free us • AND MORE...
'Made in Germany' means top quality, education and research, innovation, workers' rights, ethics, product durability, sustainability, society-oriented design goals, aesthetic unpretentiousness, integration of cultural heritage. Additionally, through fair pricing, 'Made in Germany' goods enabled many consumers' access to comforts and improved quality-of-life.
'Made in Germany' was not born overnight, yet it became transnational quite early and spread its principles from Weimar and Dessau to Athens, Tel Aviv, and the rest of the world, thus enhancing the talents and imaginations of foreigner designers too.
SMCK Magazine offers its readers food for thought by compiling a glossary of what 'Made in Germany' consists of. Let us think about what 'Made in Germany' pioneers tell us about the amazing story of an experimental and intrepid avant-garde, of the heroic sacrifice of Hans and Sophie Scholl that inspired the vision of postwar designers for true democracy, of the quest for improving the life quality of the less privileged, and last but not least of enhancing customers' pleasure and increasing consumers' brand loyalty.
Made in Germany from A to Z • The transnational origins of German design • How design advanced democracy in Germany • Taking the past forward • Abolish the Herbert-Hofmann-Prize! • Why do innovative ideas leave Germany? • Well-made art books never die out • Say it with a haiku • The gallery crisis forces artists to think out of the box • Storytelling is a must for fashion • The ritual of the two rings • Recycling as the keeper of the past • Ancient legends revisited • AND MORE...
Schmuck Munich celebrates its 65th anniversary in February 2024. SMCK Magazine marks the occasion by presenting a collection of works by contemporary jewelry artists and historical jewelry from exquisite collections.
While contemporary design may one day become the mirror of our turbulent times, museum pieces reflect social values, beliefs, and even actions that shaped modern European history. The early 19th-century iron collier from the Stadtmuseum Berlin's collection featured on the cover was created during Prussia's "I gave gold for iron" campaign.
Even nowadays, jewelry can be a symbol of national independence. In the SMCK documentary film Greetings from Ukraine, Stanislav Drokin, Yuri Plehanov, and the GuniaProject team show how ornaments can inspire people to fight for freedom and dignity two years after Russia's invasion.
Jewelry's huge potential still remains unknown to the broader art-loving public. Listening to experts' advice on how to increase jewelry's reach is crucial for the sector's growth.
Paul Derrez offers insight into the future of jewelry • Giving gold for iron • Jewelry Is A Bridge Catalogue • Paradise is made of precious stones • Empathy is the token of civilization • Jewelry reflects Nuremberg's cosmopolitan past • Greetings from Ukraine: The SMCK On Reel documentary • Limiting beliefs dominate artists communities • Danner Talks: how a jury decides who gets the prize • Ask the coach • AND MORE...
Respect for nature, sharing resources, accepting one's own mortality, humility, community, equality, sublimation, civilization, peace. These words all describe key ideas Eleusis (modern Greek: Elefsina) could still teach us today.
Archaeologist George E. Mylonas, the ancient site's excavator, describes how the truth was revealed by the Eleusinian Mysteries to the initiates through what we would call performance, poetry recitations, and exhibitions of objects! We can only speculate which sacred objects revealed the secret of immortality in the then-known world which, already in Antiquity, was maddened by crisis, conflict, war, inequality, injustice.
Paul Derrez offers insight into the future of jewelry • Svenja John's jewelry between futurism and DNA • Eleusinian Mysteries revisited • Armenian rugs are the silent witnesses of genocide and cultural expropriation • Danner Foundation: Prize awarder and collector • Jewelry is politics: celebrating Carnation Revolution at 2nd Lisbon Biennial 2024 • How the Greek classics fell prey to woke culture • AND MORE...
The very word rejection spreads dread through the art world. Rejection looms over every step the artist takes on their journey; every application for exposure, funding, or support sows the seed of potential rejection. Every inch forward toward success and fame is paved with tears and – not rarely – self-doubt about one's merit and talent.
However, being unsuccessful in gaining recognition may trigger the determination to walk a road less traveled – and probably more alluring. Rejection forces us to reflect on our true potential and question what our mission in life really is.
"I've been rejected and I bounced back!" • Can totalitarianism coexist with culture? Romanian jewelry is reborn from the ashes • Jewelry fairs, weeks, meetings: real business or hot air? • The Road To Elefsina: Mysteries unveiled • SMCK On Reel 2023 - Civilization Rebooted • Space or place? An urbanist's notes on Athens • Metalofonas Vilnius Biennial defines nordic avant-garde • Do you Schmuck this year? • And more...
Applied arts and crafts are ambassadors of peace. Collected and loved objects are more than personal, intimate treasures: they are also silent witnesses of the Zeitgeist of our times and elements of our own identity.
War turns objects, memories, and lives into ashes. Art can build bridges even between 'enemy' countries and can assist the purposes of diplomacy even when negotiations seem futile. Art can also emphasize the duty of each citizen to defend their country and values when action is needed.
The War and Peace issue is dedicated to our fellow artists from Ukraine. They manifest through their videos, statements, and jewelry their country's tragedy, but also their commitment to its rich heritage and their will for themselves, and their culture, to survive.
Ambassadors of peace • The diamond story from A to Z • SMCK ON REEL video festival - the catalogue • Dior's Odysseys in Athens • Why doesn't contemporary jewelry take off? • Athens forecasts for the day after • Grassimesse: Europe's oldest fair innovative rebound • Detroit rises from the ashes • We put our trust in money • And more...
In adversity lies opportunity – and the year of 'double Schmuck' is a plus in many respects. First, Munich will be the focus of the international jewelry scene not once, but twice this year. Second, this spring established institutions and professionals have the opportunity to run the city-wide event traditionally held alongside Schmuck.
A successful city event attracts reputable decision-makers and industry recruiters to town; it brings job opportunities, sparks new collaborations, inspires and showcases innovative ideas, supports the avant-garde, and generates income. Last but not least, it draws the interest of the real Press with the synergies it creates between art, economy, and city branding.
Schmuck's Great Reset • Art has no value! • Metamorphoses and the intellectual value of upcycling • MUNICH: Fun, Wurst and Jewelry! Schmuck Trip Report • SMCK On Reel: Jewelry's new best friend • Tradition and liberation in Korean jewelry • The purpose of Greek embroidery • LEGNICA unites art, economy and city branding • Small collections nurture contemporary jewelry • Should we stop creating to save the planet? • And more...
Long before Covid-19, many artists had begun moving from big cities to smaller towns because they were unable to afford the high cost of living in these urban centers. The pandemic made these metropolises even less attractive; the lack of space and risk of contamination, cancelation of events, and revenue losses increased the pressures on freelancers.
The periphery, however, had ceased to exist a long time ago. Creating in one place and selling in another is a common practice among creatives. The internet is instrumental in helping keep up with trends. Zoom meetings and shows have become indispensable; they are cheap, user-friendly, and reach new audiences.
Tom Sachs at Deichtorhallen Hamburg: Hybrid exhibitions change the perception of art • ART AUREA makes a group of sensitive people happy • It's the economy, artist! • Karl Fritsch: I say No to projects more often now • Jeroen Redel: Jewelry should be worn, not collected • Jewelry & The City: The Crafts Council (new) Gallery • Gian Luca Bartellone: Unity is strength in our times • Periphery and Street art: Defiant and popular • Athens: How did (some) Greek jewelry houses survive the crisis? • And more...
In his poem "Ithaca", Constantine P. Cavafy finds Ulysses's island poor and humble; however, the poet is now rich in experiences and knowledge, and even equal in fame to immortal gods. Cavafy met with F. T. Marinetti in 1930. The latter called him a "futurist", and explained: "The one who is avantgarde in life or art is a futurist." Rooted in the long tradition of poetry recited in the hellenistic courts of Syria and Egypt, Cavafy's work is timeless, unique, and inimitable. It is the very definition of avantgarde.
The GREECE 200 issue celebrates the 200th anniversary of Greece's War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire by presenting stunning examples of the rich and innovative tradition of Greece.
Ithaca gave you the marvelous journey • The map of liberation • Minoan mysteries unveiled • The spirituality of justice • Dressed to be free • Shaped by Nos • We are all within our future • The fabric of memory • Culture is a weapon • The beauty of mutations • And more...
Schmuck München, the international jewelry fair with the reputable Herbert Hofmann prizes, has been cancelled again due to Covid-19. It is an opportunity to reflect on its mission. The danger that the week of jewelry becomes synonymous with "anything goes" is ante portas, and it will also have an impact – not necessarily positive – on the status of the non-trademarked institution.
High quality standards in the independents' meeting, along with a solid press campaign and the implementation of contemporary art rules, would help the Week of Munich attract visitors and talent spotters.
The pandemic revealed the chaos in the jewelry scene • Bottled Sky for Boucheron • The sound of sculpture • Ruudt Peters on the freedom of imagination • Peters, Bakker, Noten, den Besten on the art of educating • Jewelry makes you a better person • Memory is a form of resistance • The art of educating • And more...
The jewelry artist's million-dollar question is: how can I be both critical and sustainable, challenging and pleasing, approachable and rebellious?
Jewelry art should be judged by the same standards that apply to visual art. Contemporary art can be cynical, aggressive, vulgar, depressing, disturbing. To survive, you need people to like, buy, and wear your art. Jewelry's potential to change the viewer's perspective unfolds through the trinity of the Maker, the Buyer, and the Beholder, that is, the public eye.
The basics of peace • A subsidy to destroy cultural heritage • Luxury in Berlin • Faith is part of being human • Ethics before aesthetics • SCRATCHPAPER Paris • Healing dreams in God's forest • No art without customers • I do what I really want • Jewelry and The City: Bogotá • And more...
The struggle taking place today inside the jewellery art scene may offer insight on how artists working in other disciplines combat conformism, destructive narcissism, rigid hegemonies.
Difficulties and risks will encourage artists to evaluate events based on the analysis of cost and return. Recession caused by COVID-19 will force organizers who don't satisfy artists' expectations for exposure, career opportunities, and sales to improve their services or to close down. Imagination, innovation, honesty, and action are qualities now required to stay in the game, for nothing will remain the same in 2021.
The Post CoVid-19 era • The caricature of art • Nobody buys art now • Thank You Big Pharma • Moebling or The side effects of domestication • Neo-expressionistic offerings • The use of Greek jewellery • Which way after CoVid-19? • Choreographers' creative solutions • Crowned • Jewellery and The City • Plus more...
