01/02/2012
From now on represented in the Netherlands by Gallery Rob Koudijs. www.galerierobkoudijs.nl
17/01/2012
The object "Mirror1" will be presented on the 5th of February at the exhibition "Candles and Mirrors" at the Gallery Sofie Lachaert in Belgium. "Mirror1" is made by two identical pieces of 26x18cm.
17/11/2011
From now on represented in Hong Kong by Hammer Gallery. www.hammergallery.com.hk
13/10/2011
A group of works including the "Sun" pendants will be shown at the exhibition "Jewellery Unleashed", curated by Liesbeth Den Besten, at the Museum of Modern Art of Arnhem. The Netherlands. From the 5th of November to the 5th of February.
01/09/2011
17/08/2011
Piece for the exhibition "Pin" at Experimenta Design in Lisbon.
Portugal. From the 28th of September to the 27th of November. The materials are steel and tin.
24/06/2011
Exhibition at Gallery OONA in Berlin, from the 2nd of July to the 13th of August . The opening will be 2nd of July at 18h.
17/05/2011
The "Big Solitaire Brooch" will be shown at the Chi Ha Paura...? exhibition during the international gold fair in Vicenza, Italy. From the 21st of May to the 21st of June.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a new CHP book, published by Electa.
28/04/2011
AXIS magazine, June 2011 Vol.151, features the "2 Lines" rings and the next exhibtion "18kt Drawings" at Gallery Deux Poissons starting the 3rd of June in Tokyo, Japan.
23/04/2011
The "Plastic Sticks" necklace and two brooches, part of the collection Françoise van den Bosch Foundation, are currently on view in the exhibition "Making Histories: Changing Views of the Collection" at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.
06/04/2011
Marc Monzó is taking part in the exhibition "Jewels 2F2M" at Droog Las Vegas. USA.
19th May-5th September.
31/03/2011
The exhibition "18kt Drawings" at Gallery Deux Poissons in Tokyo has been moved to the 03/06/2011.
26/02/2011
The "Sun" pendants are featured in the new book "Thought Up In Barcelona 2". ACTAR.
17/02/2011
Interview for NOOVO Editions.
Picture by Iñigo Bujedo Aguirre.
Marc´s jewellery appears as a modest rejection of the ordinary: the only way to stimulate the mind, questioning values and preconceived ideas. To carry on hopes.
Who is Marc Monzó, exactly?
Marc Monzó is exactly a man born the 16th of July of 1973 in Barcelona.
You started studying Jewellery from your interest in the scale of action that the medium offered you and not for the ornamental character for itself, what were you looking for?
In 1992 I viisted the Escola Massana which is the Arts and Crafts school of Barcelona. I wanted to study Craft but I was not sure which one to choose so I had a look to all the classes. I will always remember when I came in the jewellery class. I saw lots of people putting their attention to small objects, working with small precise tools. I had no doubt that I should study there.
Is there any fact that has masked your vision of Jewellery?
At the beginning of my career I was doing objects. Small elements that were not related to the body. In 1996 I saw an exhibition by Karl Fritsch and the exhibition "Ouroboros" by Ruudt Peters. This experience changed my perception about the Craft. Many prejudices were dissolved. Suddenly I realized that jewelry could be a valid support to express oneself in freedom. Also the technical limits that jewelry have fitted with my needs
Do you remember your first jewellery piece?, What does it mean for you and in what sense was your first step?, Do you still have it?
Yes, is a piece called "The Half Ring". I still have it. Was my first approach to jewelry. Is half ring of gold. The fact that is incomplete interests me. I have some of this early works. Sometimes I have the sensation that when I am working I am looking for those experiences that I had doing these first works. I recognize in them something that I can't explain but that is important for me. There is a root in those elements.
At what point your pieces reveal different autobiographic aspects and, in what sense are you worried about the interaction with the wearer?
My jewelry is about jewelry, about matter, about the nature of objects. My pieces are not narrative but of course autobiographic.
I use the craft to ritualize my life. The craft provides me a way to observe the world, to be here.
To be honest I don't think too much in the wearer in terms of that I work for a specific kind of person. My jewelry can be worn by men or women, a kid or a grandmother.
Universe of the tiny things has a special attraction for you; in fact, it defines part of your work, but the magnificence too. How do you combine these apparently opposite terms?
Since my childhood I've felt attracted by small objects. I collected all kind of small elements. I feel comfortable exploring and studding small size things. There is also a need to be precise in this action. This precision interests me.
The idea of living in a planet that is floating in the middle of the universe is scary for me. I consider my obsession to small elements a reflection of such a fear.
Could you explain what is the main concept behind your discourse?
My work represents an exercise for me. Maybe I am more interested in the experience of making jewellery that in the jewelry itself. It is important that the pieces represent this idea.
Even sometimes I see my jewellery as a residue of an activity, of a way of observing.
A lot of your pieces are made of noble and traditional materials as gold, but you have a special feeling with plastic. Plastic is one of your favorite materials, why are you so enthusiastic about it?
Plastic has some qualities I appreciate. It has fantastic colors, is very light and strong and has a warm contact with the skin. I like the banal nature of plastic. A material that is around daily. These characteristics makes me work with plastic, as a material I consider valuable.
For some years I've been working with parts of found plastic elements. Now technology allows to create plastic pieces at low costs, like the White Form pendants which are made of printed nylon.
How important are the materials in order to express yourself through your jewellery work?
I am not a designer. I mean I don't make drawings or design things before making them. I just work directly with material. There is a playful relationship with matter which I consider important. I work with my hands.
In terms of creation, what kind of influences have other artistic disciplines- such as Photography, Fashion, Literature, Architecture, etc- you may consider?
I studied music, flute and trumpet. I like the immaterial nature of music. In the workshop I always listen to music, it represents a bridge to focus in the work in a certain way. My work is very influenced by music and sound.
Most of the people which are dedicated to work in the field of Contemporary Jewellery know about it means but there is a difference between Contemporary Jewellery and Jewellery. How would you establish such difference for a general public?
I don't like the term Contemporary Jewellery. I don't really know what does it mean. I do jewellery. I consider myself a jeweller. I don't think there are many differences between me and a jeweller from the past century. We both use the craft in very similar ways. Maybe the only difference is that we work in different contexts.
To conclude, your beauty addiction?
Music.
16/02/2011
Article in the magazine Oficio y Arte nº114 about "Crafts & Luxury" by Gloria Bonet.
Rings "2 lines" made in 18kt gold. 2011.
26/01/2011
The "Cordill Collection" is presented at the 080 Barcelona Fashion Show Room, 31st Jan-2nd Feb. This collection is made of palm leaf and has been produced in collaboration with the craftswoman from Els Reguers, Spain.
11/01/2011
Part of the article about the exhibition "Multiples" at Gallery So, by Glenn Adamson for Crafts Council.
Complete article at the Crafts Council website.
"...Though it opened only a year ago, Gallery SO already seems essential to London's crafts scene. This is mainly because nothing shown there is easy to like. Indeed, with its improbable location and wilfully difficult offerings, the gallery seems more like a conceptual art gesture than a commercial enterprise. Especially when the gallery appears at the Crafts Council's Collect fair, they stick out from the run of objets d'art like a sore thumb, or perhaps a Dada poet ranting away in the corner of a posh café. Fortunately there is a (small) audience and even a fiercely loyal clientele for this kind of thing. But it nonetheless feels fragile, quixotic..."
"...Peter Bauhuis contributed tiny castings of lint in precious metal – £135 worth of gold that a friend might try to helpfully flick off your jumper. Marc Monzó did a set of rubbings using an 18-carat gold pencil, which left the barest of traces on the paper: a nicely judged work about the value of materials. Hans Stofer unexpectedly abandoned his usual found objects, and instead fabricated a series of giant-sized Swiss drawing pins. By absurdly aggrandizing this trivial artefact, he encouraged us to notice the brilliance of its design. Manon van Kouswijk's contribution was particularly on-point: a set of necklaces made of nothing but string and paper stickers, of the kind that galleries use to mark a piece as 'sold' on opening night..."
15/12/2010
Works exhibited in "Le Bon Marché Paris" in the context of "Oona at Galerie Imaginaire".
