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In Der National Collection

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In Der National Collection

Sandra Schmid & Caroline Thomas

18 May – 10 Jun 2017

The works in this exhibition discuss ideas of nationality and nationhood, about what it means to be introduced or indigenous, about borders and boundaries (both real and conceptual) and the meaning of home.

Both artists employ a variety of materials and forms to explore their own individual experiences of nationhood and of being an immigrant. For her inspiration Schmid uses the form of a ball as a universal metaphor for global communities coming into being and passing away which opens the question of separation versus integration. Thomas combines pewter with other media to discuss ideas of categorisation and value and our compulsion as human beings to organise ourselves into tribes.

 

Schmid and Thomas each present their individual works as national collections, in a move that might be perceived as audacious. However the two argue that the word is infinitely open to interpretation. After all, does a universally acknowledged authority exist that can categorically define what constitutes a national collection and confidently claim that something is undoubtedly German, indisputably English, irrefutably Kiwi?

Sandra Schmid and Caroline Thomas are both graduates of Whitireia NZ and are currently part of Handshake 4, the latest iteration of the internationally-acclaimed jewellery mentorship programme set up by Peter Deckers in 2011. Both artists live and work in the Wellington region.

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