FRAGILITY
Jeannette Knigge
Netherlands

Within the theme of Performing Identity, I have created various body-related objects; each object highlights a different part of our daily performance.
Fragility is often perceived as weakness, yet in my work it becomes a space of tension and possibility. I explore the fragile boundaries between body and identity, between what is given and what is chosen. Fragility emerges in the way identity is performed, always adapting, always vulnerable to the gaze and expectations of others. It is present in the contradictions we embody: the desire to belong and the need to remain true to ourselves.
Through body-related objects, I highlight how easily perceptions of beauty, strength, or authenticity can shift. Fragility here is not something to conceal but to acknowledge, it reveals the fractures that shape us. In its delicacy lies resilience, as each fragment of identity contributes to an evolving whole. My pieces invite reflection on how fragility defines our human condition; tender, unstable, and yet profoundly vital.

Nose-piece « Nose Hair », 2024
30mmx15mmx13mm mm / 8 gr
18 k gold
smithing, soldering
Photo : Femke Teussink

More « FRAGILITY »

Fragility – Joshua Kosker / USA

FRAGILITYJoshua KoskerUnited States This brooch is an exploration of time, place, and the residue of human existence. One of its components—a fragment of tile found in the ruins of Pompeii—speaks to the fragility of ancient civilizations and the lasting imprint of...

Fragility – Julie Usel / Switzerland

FRAGILITYJulie UselSwitzerland This work explores fragility as both a material and emotional condition — a state where tension, delicacy, and resilience meet. Made of paper-thin silver elements, each piece is carefully sawn and sewn onto a silk background, allowing it...

Fragility – Gloria Tormo / Spain

FRAGILITYGloria TormoSpainThere is not one fragility, but countless ones. Emotional fragility, health fragility, knowledge fragility, integrity fragility, etc. Suddenly, one day, we discover that everything we believe to be strong and stable crumbles or disappears,...

Fragility – Keith Lewis – USA

FRAGILITYKeith LewisUnited StatesThe Saddest Aisle Consider the Saddest Aisle, that mass of forlorn, abandoned baskets huddled together at the thrift store. In their puppy-eyed, earnest yearning they exude an almost hilarious melancholy. And they long for a new home....

Fragility – Denis Music / Ukraine

FRAGILITYDenis MusicUkraineFragility is a state of tension — between strength and collapse, between freedom and threat, between life and its disappearance. My brooch Black Cloud was inspired by the installation of Ukrainian artist Oleksiy Sai, which rose above the...

Fragility – Alma Lion / Israel

FRAGILITYAlma LionIsraelThe brooch was created in October 2023 by joining an olive branch with metal. This union reveals a material tension between the cold, sharp metal and the tender, fragile olive branch. At the same time, it evokes a symbolic contrast — between...

Fragility – Noy Alon / Israel

FRAGILITYNoy AlonIsraelA brooch built from ready-made pins soldered together, covered in polymer and transformed into something unexpectedly delicate. Systematically eroded, the piece reveals a paradox: structural strength that appears light and fragile. The erosion...

Fragility – Lily Preve / Greece

FRAGILITYLily PreveGreece "… If this moment were innocent, time an angel, and the act fateful, I would have nothing more to confess than the silent harshness of words. In time, you do not choose the form of things; it is enough to feel its silent fragility and to...

Fragility – Juan Harnie / Belgium

FRAGILITYJuan HarnieBelgiumAs a child, I watched my mother repair our worn clothes. My small hands would clumsily try to help, threading needles or guiding the iron. These moments were never about perfection, but about connection. Each patch, each stitch was an act of...

Fragility – Cristina Celis / Mexico

FRAGILITYCristina CelisMexicoThe Last BreathFragility is the threshold where strength meets its limit, where existence reveals its most honest form.This work, made from weightless paper-thin ceramics, evokes a paradox: delicate yet tense, resilient yet on the verge of...