FRAGILITY
Yuqi Fan
United States

To me, “Fragility” emerges in the dynamics of attachment, the way we rely on objects to express ourselves, cherish lost ones, and soothe insecurities. Through jewelry and wearable objects, I explore how these attachments reveal the delicate balance between resilience and vulnerability in human nature. In my work, fragility resides in the delicate relationships between people and the objects they hold dear.
Inspired by the subculture of doll-keeping, I explore how attachment to dolls can compensate for loneliness, offer alternative forms of belonging, and transform inanimate objects into vessels of emotion, memory, and identity. Employing jewelry as a medium to express this attachment, my works reflect a desire for connection in an increasingly detached world.
Through forms that invite touching and handling, my works require care and intimate exchange between wearer and object. The interactions reveal a vulnerability of dependence: we project desires of intimacy onto what cannot respond, yet find comfort in its quiet presence. The jewelry’s fragility is not only physical, but psychological. It expresses a need for tenderness and vulnerability in a world that demands resilience.

Ring « Exchange Rings », 2024
115 × 76 × 76 mm
PLA, soft pastel, spray paint, sterling silver, cubic zirconia
3D Printing

More « FRAGILITY »

Fragility – Youjin Um / South Korea

FRAGILITYYoujin UmSouth KoreaIn the daily life of the beginning and the repetition, I take the center of my mind and begin to walk on the map I drew. A lot of steps that sometimes went straight along the mind map to work or recharge, and then back again. Create...

Fragility – Beatrice Carlson / New Zealand

FRAGILITYBeatrice CarlsonNew ZealandHow do we refer to Fragility and how do we feel about it in our, somehow, judgemental, competitive society? Looking at synonyms, there is nothing positive about it: delicate, brittle, frail, weak, tenuous. Fragility is what some...

Fragility – Yasuko Kanno / Japan

FRAGILITYYasuko KannoJapanEven the most perfectly formed creation will one day perish. Glass and ceramics will shatter, metal will rust, and every living being will eventually face death. Although it often happens unexpectedly, in reality, it is predetermined from the...

Fragility – Niyousha Moosavi / Germany

FRAGILITYNiyousha MoosaviGermanyI see jewelry as a transitional object that carries personal meaning and embodies emotional and psychological connections. This psychosomatic collection emerged from a personal experience, a time when my body began to swell for no...

Fragility – Deganit S. Shocken / Israel

FRAGILITYDeganit S. SchockenIsraelAgonies of Peace Soup Spoon, Pendant Once a vessel of care and nourishment, the soup spoon is here hollowed out, its bowl carved in negative with the word peace in Hebrew, Arabic, and English. Transformed into a pendant, it can no...

Fragility – Henrike Altes / Germany

FRAGILITYHenrike AltesGermanyBreathing Lungs. Such a strong organ, with such fragile structures. In some situations, I find it difficult to breathe or my breathing is very fast. It is directly linked to how I feel. In the same way, a deep breath can calm me down....

Fragility – Babette von Dohnanyi / Germany

FRAGILITYBabette von DohnanyiGermanyThis piece talks about our identity, how fragile we are, our look in our individual face, our acceptance about ourselves. The research of ourselves all way deep but also never secure.Brooch "hello", 20237x7x2,5cm mm / 250,00 grAG...

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 – Anna Talbot / Norway

FRAGILITYAnna TalbotNorwayMy two brooches; Up Yours! and Two Fingers Up! are made from two old Vaseline containers, the Vaseline used up, smeared on dry lips, used in private places, with personal gestures. They're decorated with ornaments, colours and look almost...

Fragility – Katerina Jirsova / Czech Republic

FRAGILITYKaterina JirsovaCzech RepublicThese necklaces continue my ongoing exploration of the dialogue between the body, the object, and the space we inhabit. Crafted from white chalk, they carry the qualities of softness, fragility, and impermanence – a material that...