This exhibition builds a bridge between tradition and contemporary art.

The artists deal with their linguistic identity and transform it into the form of a decorative object.

The dialects, or the peculiarities or uniqueness derived from them, can thus be carried and reflected in a new way - as a visual element on the body (to the outside world).
A rich variety of supra-regional dialects and language variants coexist in Graz.

Depending on geographical or social origin, terms and idioms vary considerably - sometimes to such an extent that they are difficult to understand or “translate”.

Dialects and dialects create and preserve traditions and history and play a central
role in the formation of identity - they shape our everyday lives and our self-image.

They enable people to identify or differentiate themselves and are deeply rooted in the local culture.

©Photos Noah Layr (watermark Plattform Schmuckkunst).

If unlabeled or otherwise labeled - All rights are reserved by the respective owner.

"Grantscherm/-scherbe" can be translated as "shards of anger or rage" and is an Austrian expression used for a bad-tempered,

grumpy person.

This work consists of shards from a hand-painted ceramic plate inscribed with "Ich hab die schönsten Stunden Doch nur in meinem Heim gefunden." (I have found my most beautiful moments only in my home.)

Parts of the fragments are patched up with a bandage, resembling gaping wounds. Some parts are still loose and can be added over time. It can be seen as a work in progress, symbolising the gradual and continuous process and patience required to repair damage.

It also reflects the conscious detachment and breaking of habitual patterns or expectations that trigger frustration, anger and aggression in the various contexts and circumstances of a home.

Grantscherm

neckjewellery

shards of a hand-painted ceramic plate, leukoplast, short-stretch bandage, cotton twist

Gouschats Gogglwerch is cheeky and outspoken – a statement for everything that doesn't fit into a norm.
In a world that upholds perfection, performance and function, it loudly proclaims that art and creative
expression should not be restricted by rigid rules.

It aims to remind us to celebrate seemingly useless things – Gogglwerch – and stands for the beauty of the non-normative, embracing the unordered and provisional, the approximate and fragile and their strength found in being different.

Instead of derogatory terms like vawordacklt, zalempat or Hulla, it uses exclamations of appreciation and wonder such as Leck
Fettn, bis du deppat, Jessas na or Bua lousi.

This piece of jewelry wishes to be different and boldly advocate for the unconventional and imperfect with a cheeky attitude!

Gouschats Gogglwerch
neckpiece
copper, glass beads, polyester and metallic thread

Dialect is what I grew up with in the Waldviertel and is spoken and appreciated by me.

One of my favorite words is an ambiguous term: DIRNDL.
Dirndl - means a young girl.
Dirndl - is the name of a traditional dress.
Dirndl - fruit or cornelian cherry, is a stone fruit that looks like an olive.
It tastes sweet, tart or sour, depending on how ripe it is.

Once in your mouth, the flesh separates and the stone comes back.

I use the stone as an organic gemstone in jewelry:
Mund:Art!

Dirndl

ring

925 silver, Dirndlseed

This brooch made of copper and silver, painted with cold enamel, shows stylized silhouettes in conversation, accompanied by comic speech bubbles.

Measuring 10 x 10 cm and featuring vibrant colors, it stands for human communication and encounter.
The work honors interaction as the basis of culture. Each figure and bubble symbolizes exchange and
shared stories that create community.

It reminds us of the importance of coming together, Speaking and listening to keep languages and dialects alive.
In the context of the “Mund:Art” exhibition, the brooch is a microcosm of expression and celebrates the
conversations that connect us.

Colloquium

brooch/pin

copper, 925 silver, pigments and cold enamel

The “Mundart_verschränkt” project develops author's jewelry that opens up social and personal
spaces of meaning.

The term “art” is reinterpreted in dialect as “Kunntast du” - a playful linguistic shift that allows desire, possibility and imagination to flow into one another.
The formulated sentences - often in the form of requests or questions - shift the claim from statement
to suggestion.

They invite further thought, appear open, playful and yet profound.

As wearablebody objects, these texts become jewelry that not only decorates but also communicates and can therefore be understood not as a status symbol but as a piece of thought and speech.

Mundart_verschränkt

bodyobject
tin, paper, textile

Rusty iron objects, found in a remote wooded area in Carinthia.

Perhaps old tent pegs, left behind, forgotten and marked by time.

They were collected and connected.

The feeling of not really feeling “at home” anywhere and an inner turmoil is a familiar friend.
The piece of jewelry tells of home, origin and the constant search for a place where you can feel at home.

A place where restlessness stays away and new tents can be pitched

wo is mei daham?

Neckpiece

925 Silver, old iron nails

„Jeder ist seines Glückes Schmied, aber nicht jeder hat ein Schmuckes Glied“
Language shapes reality, so language shapes society. This work tells of the regulars' tables at which
Gstanzln (traditional mocking/humorous songs in the Alpine region) are sung, which often contain an
ambiguous sexualization.

This small circle of people, who use a dialectic that is difficult for outsiders to understand, stands for a multitude of words that have developed between the valleys and form a society
that is linguistically separated from the outside world and thus makes integration diametrically difficult.
Welcome to the beautiful homeland, welcome to the dialect!

Schmuckes Glied

necklace

steel, 925 silver, 32x cubic zirkonia, leather

Facial expressions are among the most widely understood forms of communication.

A smile is recognized in all cultures as a sign of friendliness and respect.

However, it is increasingly reduced to a mere facade.
Tired of having to smile in every situation?

SMILE does it for you!
Simply put it on and SMILE away.
SMILE if you are full of tears
SMILE if there is nothing but fears
SMILE if the world falls apart
SMILE if you give a shit about art

smile

wearable object

enamel, 925 silver, brass, steel, magnet

Language is a mode of encounter, a mode of separation.

Dialect, like any language, functions as a border, as a state of transition that includes the cultural codifications of exclusion and belonging.

“Say Shibboleth!” - pronounce it correctly to show who you are, otherwise you face fatal consequences (the biblical episode in Judges, 12).
Say ‘Oachkatzlschwoaf’!

You may experience a phony, edgy sound, a phonic jargon, a sonic deception.

You may realize that the term cannot be found in any dictionary, that it “can only have meaning in relation to a place” (Jacques Derrida).

Not in relation to its literal meaning: squirrel tail.

Dialect determines belonging, determines differences and closed or open or contradictory boundaries.

Tongue Twister: Oachkatzlschwoaf

pendant

copper, enamel, 925 silver

coming soon.....