COLLABORATION | ARTISTIC
In another philanthropic initiative, support was provided to up-and-coming artists, giving them an opportunity to expand their artistic palette and push their creativity in a brand-new direction. Each artist Topaz was gifted Topaz to work with, and the cost of manufacturing their wearable art was also financed by Ostro Minerals , allowing them to create, without restriction, something truly exciting and unique.
Catherine Yass,
Blue Pulse necklace
“I was transfixed by the way the light travels through the rough cut blue topaz stones. It catches in the fissures and bounces through angles and across planes. This interaction has been the guide for the necklaces, each one using a uniquely fissured stone. It has been fascinating to enter unfamiliar territory and work with new people, learning different skills.”
CATHERINE YASS (b. 1963, London) trained at the Slade School of Art, London; the Hochschule der Kunst, Berlin; and Goldsmiths College, London. In 2002, Yass was shortlisted for the Turner Prize.
Our vision is to work with aspiring artists encouraging them to explore new boundaries between art and jewellery
Sir Isaac Julien CBE,
Stones against Diamonds
“My most recent series of work, Stones against Diamonds, is a poetic meditation on the oeuvre of the Italian-born Brazilian architect Lina Bo Bardi. In a letter to her husband Pietro Bo Bardi, she recollects some of her childhood memories and explains how her love for semi-precious stones developed from a habit of gathering things and that her first great passion was a blue cameo that shone like dusk.
Stones against Diamonds was shot in Iceland’s ice caves as part of the Vatnajokull Glacier. Inspired by the textures and colours I found there, I decided to create a collection of jewellery that mirrors the features of the nature’s architect.”
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”
― Helen Keller
“The topaz stones used are set in two different designs of organic and embossed textures, echoing the dialogue of textures also found in my film Stones against Diamonds.”
Sir ISAAC JULIEN CBE (b. 1960, London) is a Turner prize nominated artist, photographer and filmmaker. He has pioneered a form of multi-screen installations, including light-boxes and photographic works with the Western Union. Julien participated in the 56th Biennale di Venezia (2015).
Nicole Wermers,
Pimple Ring
“The Pimple Ring is a cocktail ring, a jewellery category that originated in the 1920s in the US, where in the Prohibition era the craze was for the dramatic. This ring combines the drama of a large topaz stone, shaped into a flawless sphere, only to be cheekily surprised by a rebellious amethyst growth.”
NICOLE WERMERS (b. 1971, Germany) graduated from Hochschule fur bildende Kunste, Hamburg, Germany before completing her MA in Fine Art at Central St. Martins College of Art and Design, London in 1999. She was shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 2015.
If you’re interested in enquiring about one of these pieces, please contact pr@ostro.com