Shining DESPAIR
Arisa Inoue
Japan

Brooch “Our Treasury-crane”, 2024
Silver925, can, old fabric, silk string,60x90mm
Soldering, brooch making, sewing
Photo : Mirei Takeuchi

Brooch “Our Treasury-turtle”, 2024
Silver925, can, old fabric, silk string,60x90mm
Soldering, brooch making, sewing
Photo : Mirei Takeuchi

It’s not uncommon for darkness to cast a shadow over the human heart. Wounds inflicted by trivial matters, natural disasters, human-caused tragedies, war, death, and separation. The balance between light and darkness is always equal—neither can exist without the other, and neither can exist alone.

Even so, we must protect our hearts. From despair that holds the power to shine with an overwhelming brilliance. One of the fundamental roles of jewelry is as a protective charm, an amulet or talisman. People believe in the magical power that resides within objects imbued with wishes. My jewelry has a small compartment within it, a space where something can be placed to guard yourself. No matter the era or way of life, there are times when despair shines too brightly. We must believe in our own hidden magic and the power of objects, so that we do not succumb to them.

More « Shining DESPAIR »

Shining Despair – Lily Pree / Greece

Despair is the lack of little breathless reflections.

Shining Despair – Myriam Theveniaud / France

Transformation and chaos are deeply interconnected concepts …

Shining Despair – Willy vande Velde / Belgium

The ring is part of the communication series.

Shining Despair – Maud Traon/ UK

« This Mess We Are All In » was created in 2021, a year when the first aftermath of the long COVID period began to take hold…

Shining Despair – Donald Friedlich / USA

For most of us despair comes and goes.

Shining Despair – Rikke Lunnemann / Denmark

‘It is clear to all of us that the degree of the current chaos in the world is caused by our own actions….‘

Shining Despair – Malene Kastalje / Denmark

I am preoccupied with the unpredictable and abnormal aspects of life.

Shining Despair – Laurel Fulton / USA

We experience the world in the only way we can, through and with our bodies.

Shining Despair – Yichen Dong & Stacey Huang / China

Many spend their lives chasing ‘key moments,’ …

Shining Despair – Sanna Svedestedt / Sweden

The Dropped Ice Cream brooches offer a surreal take on the iconic moment …