Der Tiefenglanz II (Kopf)

Der Tiefenglanz II (Kopf)

In Der Tiefenglanz, what first appears as an unseemly combination draws out the shared, crafted qualities of photography and contemporary jewellery. The series also highlights the common interest both Karl Fritsch and Gavin Hipkins have in disrupting conventions within their fields.

Hipkins chose to create traditional, gelatin silver photographs that he visually clouds for this collaboration. “In the darkroom I started to solarise the prints, which added another quality to the works that worked well with the jewellery materials. Having this control of the print in the darkroom is important—the images are crafted.”

Inquisitive and experimental in nature, Der Tiefenglanz is the result of a Surrealist exquisite corpse approach, where Hipkins passes prints he has chosen independently to Fritsch, who mounts these onto aluminium sheets—unceremoniously piercing them with his own archive of found gemstones and precious metals amassed in his studio.

Fritsch builds on his own practice of challenging the longstanding belief that jewellery is signifier of beauty, wealth—and therefore power—as he asserts his own control over Hipkins’ images by undertaking a task that could be seen as ugly and destructive.

While both artists speak to an element of the control gained with experience, there is also a lightness of touch that comes with letting go and trusting your collaborator when you have mastered your craft.

— Sian van Dyk, 2023