Liliane Lijn speaks to Elisabetta Cipriani about her powerful Earth Body Art Elisabetta Cipriani sat down with Liliane Lijn, an extraordinary artist, whose diverse artistic career spans across more than four decades. Since the early 1960s, Lijn has worked as a revolutionary artist in the field of kinetic art – working across media to explore the interplay between language, movement, mythology, light, matter, science, and technology. We invited Lijn to discuss her wearable art sculptures, which are rooted in the vitality of planet earth. EC: Your wearable sculptures push the boundaries of jewellery. Each piece has a raw, organic aesthetic and is a direct reference to geological forms, such as lava, fossils, and meteorites. Why does the dynamic earth interest you? LL: I have always felt very close to nature, more than that, I am nature and I want to be aware of this reality. We now know that life on this planet is delicately balanced, that the planet is alive with an infinitely complex ecosystem. As a small part of it, I try to examine it, much as a child would, by playing.   Liliane Lijn, Magma Cuff (2018), 18kt gold cuff, edition of 5 + 1AP, unique. Photography: Deniz Guzel EC: You once said […]

Elisabetta Cipriani Gallery sat down with Ai Weiwei, China’s most famous artist, to discuss the launch of his highly anticipated second wearable art project collaboration, Ring W and Ring M. A cultural figure, political activist, and artist, Ai Weiwei moves between modes of production to explore contemporary issues, including migration, shared history, systems of cultural value, political surveillance, and cross-cultural exchange. Comprising of two unique 24kt gold rings, his new and exclusive wearable art project reveals the artist’s continued interest in exploring themes of human migration and dignity. The statement pieces investigate what it means to be trapped, bound, and deprived of the freedom to travel and determine one’s own existence. By combining the artist’s signature iconography with iconic symbols of contemporary society, the powerful gold rings depict stories of migrants, which unfold underneath a mysterious half-moon: by foot or by sea, some are portrayed travelling together and others alone. The artist’s use of 24kt gold as well as his reference to ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics further reinforce the power of the wearable artworks as representative of the artist’s acute social awareness and exquisite artistic craftsmanship. At its core, the wearable art project is a manifestation of Ai Weiwei’s sensitivity to the duality of […]

The evocative art of Giorgio Vigna is rooted in nature’s metamorphic phenomena. He fluidly interchanges the artistic mediums of sculpture, works on paper and jewellery, inviting us to understand our relationship with the cosmos through engaging our senses. His works trigger our imagination through their textures, sounds and movements, evocating the mystery of our attraction to the natural world. In celebration of Elisabetta Cipriani’s 10 years of collaborations with the world’s leading visual artists, we invite one of the gallery’s first partners, Giorgio Vigna, to discuss his relationship with wearable art. GV: It makes me very happy to know that I am one of the first artists your gallery represented. It has now been ten years! EC: Yes, it all started with our first collaboration. You were there from the beginning. How has this journey together been like for you? Giorgio Vigna, Segmenti, 2018, oxidised silver and 18 kt yellow gold necklace, unique and signed.Photography credit: Francesca Moscheni.     GV: I know that you appreciated my art even before you opened your gallery. Working together has been important for me because it has always made me feel that I was in good company. It also gave me the opportunity to show some of […]

“A jewel, a work of art is a presence that reminds us of the importance of emotion, of life, of our values ​​and ideals” Paolo Canevari’s art works are nothing short of academic philosophical essays. The artist fearlessly takes on the burden of human history, dissecting and re-appropriating cross-cultural symbols in an invitation to a collective and honest self-awareness. In response to today’s unstable and divided political climate, Paolo’s first wearable art project asks us to re-evaluate the meaning of power, both historically and in our contemporary globalised society. In our interview, we delve into the mind of this brave thinker. EC: Your Roman She Wolf necklace holds a special place in my gallery’s collection. We both grew up in Rome, where the symbols of bygone empires and their ever-changing heroes are embroidered into the city’s daily life. Your art is created by and against this visual language of power. A recurring theme in your work, and one which you have chosen for your wearable art projects, is animal symbolism. The eagle, the octopus, the beautiful she-wolf – what do these animals mean to you? PC: What fascinates me about the world of symbols and icons is its capacity for change […]