Idar-Oberstein adorned is an exhibition series around contemporary jewellery organised by the city of Idar-Oberstein in cooperation with the University and the Jakob Bengel Foundation.
Below you can find information on the exhibition programme.
We are delighted to invite you to the opening of the exhibition "Von der Sprache der Steine" as part of the Idar-Oberstein adorned exhibition programme!
"Stones are silent teachers", wrote Goethe - and sought a deeper meaning in their speechlessness. The exhibition "Von der Sprache der Steine" at Villa Bengel takes up this idea and shows how art can give voice, expression and poetry to stone. On display are 15 works acquired from an estate by the internationally renowned gemstone artist Bernd Munsteiner (1943-2024), his son Tom and grandson Philipp Munsteiner, father and son Werner and Dieter Lorenz, the sculptor couples Kubach-Wilmsen, Kubach-Kropp and Vitalis Kubach as well as Milena Naef and David Bielander. From the Gemstone and Jewellery Campus are represented: Erik Lijzenga, Olga Krysanova, Vanessa Zöller and Maryam Akbarpour. A book tower by Kubach-Wilmsen is on permanent loan to the Villa Bengel garden.
Opening: Thursday, 3 July 2025, 6:30 pm at Villa Bengel and via livestream on the Jakob Bengel Foundation's Instagram channel, with a welcoming address by Peter Wenzel and an introduction by Wilhelm Lindemann.
Adress: Villa Bengel, Wilhelmstraße 44, 55743 Idar-Oberstein
Opening Hours: Di.-So. 10-5pm
Further info on the industrial monument Jakob Bengel and its foundation can be found here.
The Iranian artist and the Nigerian artist will be presenting the results of their Master's studies at the Gemstone and Jewellery Campus. The cultural roots, rituals and social situation of their home countries resonate in all their works: Nioosha Vaezzadeh deals with the position of women in Islamic society in her works; Chidimma Omeke addresses masquerade and identity; his thesis redefines jewellery as an extension of the mask.
"I entered the 3rd floor 3rd room DG004. Jakob Bengel industrial monument. Galalithgalalalalalalaland of milk and honey. Coagulated coloured milk in the form of rods, tubes, slabs - hundreds of them! I visit the galalith chamber every day and can't stop marvelling. To come to terms with this abundance, I have to play, play with the material.
The attraction lies in making, in trying things out, in experimenting with form, colour and the properties of the material. How challenging it is to develop new works from these possibilities...but slowly the idea coagulates into form."
Danni Schwaag will be showing older pieces of jewellery made of enamel, mother-of-pearl, wood, acrylic paint and galalith alongside new works created during her artist-in-residence stay at the Jakob Bengel Foundation and the Idar-Oberstein University of Applied Sciences over the past two months. The artist has captured moments, images and encounters in sketches, objects, installations and wearables.
The exhibition was curated by Dr Christianne Weber-Stöber, who was director of the Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus in Hanau from 2006 to 2023. The brooches were previously presented there. Before she took her well-deserved retirement in 2023, she organised the brooch exhibition as a farewell to her position. Her aim was to juxtapose classic historical jewellery with contemporary jewellery, creating an interaction between past and present. To this end, 12 alumni of Trier University of Applied Sciences each selected a brooch from an important private jewellery collection and responded to it in their own artistic style. Another historical brooch was then added to the pairs of brooches to further expand the context.
Dr Weber-Stöber travelled to Idar-Oberstein to set up the exhibition herself and give a speech at the opening. She already had a close connection to the Hunsrück university location and the industrial monument through her teaching activities in jewellery and art history at the Idar-Oberstein campus from 2004 to 2017 and her membership of the board of the Jakob Bengel Circle of Friends.
The artists represented in the exhibition are:
Sharareh Aghaei, Catalina Brenes, Patricia C. Domingues, Natascha Frechen, Tatjana Giorgadse, Mira Kim, Felicia Mülbaier, Julia Obermaier, Sonia Pibernat, Constanza Salinas, Danni Schwaag and Edu Tarín
The gemstone apothecary deals with the psychology of superstition, which manifests itself in the belief in healing stones and amulet jewellery. Abstracted psychopharmacology, botanical remedies, inkblots and lucky charms form the framework for the "healing" stones. Based on the efficacy of faith or placebo and the psychosocial functions of jewellery, "The Gemstone Apothecary" explores the reflexive acceptance of beliefs that can serve as a balm for the human psyche in uncertain times.
Erik Lijzenga is working on his Master's thesis at the university in Idar-Oberstein during the "LOST AND FOUND" exhibition. The exhibition opens with a collection of materials and at the finissage there will be a collection of (jewellery) works created from these materials.
The three-and-a-half months of research at the Jakob Bengel Foundation are driven by his motivations, which also drive him during his Master's degree in Gemstones and Jewellery.
Typhaine Le Monnier graduated from Trier University of Applied Sciences at the Idar-Oberstein campus in 2015 with a remarkable jewellery collection. Since then, she has continued to develop her work from her studio in Lisbon and has exhibited her pieces worldwide. Today, she is presenting the results of a three-month residency at the Jakob Bengel Foundation: "Playtime". The term sums up the artist's approach to jewellery design, which strikes a balance between innovative thinking and playful experimentation, challenging conventional notions of wearability and adornment in jewellery design.
In cooperation with Trier University of Applied Sciences, the Jakob Bengel Foundation Idar-Oberstein has been inviting jewellery artists to work as "artists in residence" at the historic Jakob Bengel jewellery and watch chain factory and the university since May 2006. The works they create during their stay reflect the atmosphere of the listed jewellery factory and the omnipresent glittering world of gemstones in Idar-Oberstein.
Detlef Thomas is showing works from 1980 to 2023. In addition to the jewellery, the ephemera related to his jewellery will also be on display in this exhibition. The ephemera intervene at one point or another in the "legibility" of the jewellery and are an interesting subtext to his works.
An important group of works in this exhibition are the enamels, a selection of which is being shown here for the first time and which are relevant to the artist because he has used them over the years to develop his own technical approach within a technique that is thousands of years old.
His works are characterised by a close look at form, colour, material and function and not infrequently transgress the set boundaries in order to be able to view the works quasi from the outside and thus more comprehensively, which here and there enables a completely new view of things.
Detlef Thomas only appears sporadically in public and thus his works are very rarely shown so extensively in an exhibition.
21. - 21. Juni at Villa Bengel
nsaio, "new jewellery from Idar-Oberstein", has now been a synonym for the presentation of works by students of Trier University of Applied Sciences in Idar-Oberstein over the past 20 years. It is a connecting link for highly diverse works, because we particularly value supporting individuality and personal handwriting in as wide a range of styles as possible. So it is not surprising that the primary goal of the Gemstone and Jewellery Department is to guide students on their way to becoming free-acting but critical individuals and, above all, independent artists with a unique identity. This exhibition shows the work of students from the last 15 years and thus also provides an insight into the development of the department. As the location Idar-Oberstein suggests, the Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts degree programme is not only about free artistic work, jewellery and adornment, but also - and often above all - about precious stones. They do not have to be present in every work, but an attitude towards the material should be developed. Studying in a gemstone centre presupposes this engagement.
26. JANUAR - 16. APRIL 2023 IN THE BENGEL FOUNDATION
A journey with Ramon Puig Cuyàs, Georg Dobler, Jürgen Eickhoff, Herman Hermsen, Winfried Krüger, Ruudt Peters and Graziano Visintin through the jewellery history of the last 45 years. The show presents seven jewellery designers, each a little older and active for decades, who have had a significant influence on the international jewellery scene. They are all artists of Galerie Spektrum, which was founded by Marianne Schliwinski and Jürgen Eickhoff in 1981 and is still one of the most important places on the jewellery scene. These artists have clearly shifted the symbiosis of art and craft towards art with their work. Tendencies of Bauhaus and Constructivism are recognisable, Pop Art flashes up and some pieces look like tiny architectures. With this generation of artists, jewellery has been given more content than ever before. On display in each case are a few older works and a comprehensive overview of the current works. In addition, photos show those pieces that seem important to the artists themselves in their development. CHRONOS looks back and forward, but above all it looks at a moment.
[Christoph Blase]
ARTWEAR offers an insight into contemporary Dutch jewellery with works by 24 jewellery makers; a wide range of artists, linked in the "Haarlems Sieraad Collectief", with very different works.some artists have just graduated, others have already carved out a place for themselves in the international jewellery scene. ARTWEAR shows Dutch author's jewellery in the broadest sense of the word. Artistic quality and craftsmanship were taken into account in the selection of the works. The relationship to the body, however, is the unifying element in these works. To express this, photographs of jewellery worn by artists from other disciplines were taken especially for this exhibition.
24.06.–06.10.2022, Villa Bengel
The town partnership Turnov - Idar-Oberstein will be celebrated in 2022 with 4 exhibitions:
Prof. Kollischan shows new works, created during a research semester, as well as an installation in the Bengelstiftung. Prof. Baumkötter from the HFK Bremen writes about Ms Kollischan's oeuvre: "It is an artistic work in different media that examines its conditions and means and does so in a very independent way. The aim of these works is not an aesthetic of any kind but the processing and investigation of the various media with the help of one's own subjectivity."
2 December 2021 - 10 april 2022 at Villa Bengel
(accompanying ThinkingJewellery XII at the Idar-Oberstein university)
Can art be satisfied with a role as a supplier of consumer goods in the market of the culture industry? Or is it time to focus more on the political implications of art in order to engage more proactively with contemporary social issues? Paintings by Pieter Lemmens, one of the speakers, will be shown at the symposium. Perhaps the most essential question related to Lemmens' work is: what exactly is there to laugh about? Criticism through humour and exaggeration runs like a thread through Lemmens' work.
Opening on 14 October 2021, 19:00 at the University of Applied Sciences in Idar-Oberstein.
(zu ThinkingJewellery XII in Galerie Pfälzer Hof)
2021 wird die Kooperation der Hochschule und der Jakob Bengel-Stiftung mit den Galerien Chrom VI und Pfälzer Hof weitergeführt. Zum Thema des 12. Schmucksymposiums „The Political Challenge of Art“ zeigt die Galerie Pfälzer Hof die Installationen S/S 2020 und S/S 2021, kuratiert von Dr. Eila Goldhahn.
Eröffnung 15 Oktober 19:00
Dauer: 15. Oktober bis 31 Oktober, täglich von 17 Uhr bis 23 Uhr
Gallery Pfälzer Hof, Wasenstraße 90, 55743 Idar-Oberstein
www.pfaelzerhof.org | www.bruceasbestos.info
(accompanying ThinkingJewellery XII in Galerie Pfälzer Hof)
In 2021, the cooperation between the university and the Jakob Bengel Foundation with the galleries Chrom VI and Pfälzer Hof will continue. On the theme of the 12th Jewellery Symposium "The Political Challenge of Art", Galerie Pfälzer Hof will show the installations S/S 2020 and S/S 2021 S/S 2021 uses experimental 3D modelling and rendering to create a playful digital catwalk for Bruce Asbestos' spring/summer collection. Based on research trips to New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia and Asbestos' love of American pop culture, the outfits shown on the catwalk address the power of cultural identity in a globalised visual culture. The S/S catwalk features wild interpretations of American icons, including 'Kroc', a crocodile figure based on American McDonald's tycoon Ray Kroc, who made the company a symbol of American capitalism. (curated by Dr. Eila Goldhahn)
Opening 15 October 19:00
Duration: 15 October to 31 October, daily from 17:00 to 23:00
Gallery Pfälzer Hof, Wasenstraße 90, 55743 Idar-Oberstein
www.pfaelzerhof.org | www.bruceasbestos.info
(accompanyingThinkingJewellery XII in Gallery Chrom VI)
In 2021, the cooperation between the university and the Jakob Bengel Foundation with the Chrom VI and Pfälzer Hof galleries will continue.
On the theme of the 12th Jewellery Symposium "The Political Challenge of Art", Chrom VI is showing works by the Japanese Kyoco Taniyama. Her creative inspiration is motivated by the concept of "ubiety". Guided by the seemingly simple question "Where am I now?", Taniyama addresses the individual's confusion, which is increasingly intensified by globalisation.
16 October - 25 November 2021 at the Chrom VI Gallery.
2020 wird die Kooperation der Hochschule und der Jakob Bengel-Stiftung mit den Galerien Chrom VI und Pfälzer Hof weitergeführt. Zum Thema des 12. Schmucksymposiums „The Political Challenge of Art“ zeigt die Galerie Pfälzer Hof die Installation „Rising“, bestehend aus Videos, Skulpturen und Performances von Stuart Young und Eila Goldhahn: „Eine Revolte – In Zeiten des allgegenwärtigen Zusammenbruchs untersuchen wir persönliche Metaphern der Hoffnung und Verzweiflung.“
10. Oktober 2020 – 25. November 2020 in den Galerien Chrom VI und Pfälzer Hof
12 August - 10 October 2021 at Villa Bengel
Today, "precious stones" are mostly worked into jewellery or gems. Masters of the Italian Renaissance also composed impressive pictures from hard stone elements ("pietre dure").
In this tradition, Dieter Lorenz and Bernd Munsteiner have created a large number of abstract works in recent years, which are being presented to the public together for the first time. Both pursue completely different artistic goals: While Munsteiner, as already in his sculptural work, is now also discovering the natural ornamentation of crystal as a material of art in two-dimensional images, Lorenz's colourful abstractions between design and conceptual art reflect the zeitgeist of the late 20th century.
11 June - 8 August 2021 at Villa Bengel
This exhibition of African jewellery features works by African jewellery artists from various countries, reflecting the extraordinary cultural diversity of the continent as well as the simultaneity of tradition and modernity.
The pieces of jewellery on display are part of a collection that Martina Dempf has assembled. The exhibition is complemented by works by European artists inspired by Africa's jewellery culture. Photographs visualise jewellery in African everyday life and at festivals.
Dr Christianne Weber-Stöber has been the managing director of the Gesellschaft für Goldschmiedekunst e.V., which is based in the Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus Hanau, for 30 years. As concurrent director of the Goldschmiedehaus, she looks after a representative collection of jewellery and tools with a focus on exhibits from 1965 to 2018. Such a collection is carefully built up and constantly expanded based on various criteria. When you are entrusted with such a task, it is inevitable that you will have very personal preferences.
The Jakob Bengel Foundation asked Christianne Weber-Stöber to present her favourite pieces from the Hanau municipal collection and some of her private jewellery in Idar-Oberstein.
13 December 2019 - 22 March 2020 in the Villa Bengel
Part of the degree programme at the university is an education in the free discipline of "design". This means that students are given the opportunity to develop their artistic self-perception and attitude. Works are created for their own sake, which do not have to be recognisable or wearable as jewellery, nor do they necessarily want to be recognised as works of art. Nevertheless, they are a living expression of the students' emerging artistic identity and are surprising and revealing in their potential radicalism.
In a double exhibition curated by Hans Benda in the Bengel Foundation and within walking distance in the Chrom VI exhibition space, both sides, jewellery and fine art, are presented and exhibited.
11 October - 01 December 2019 at Villa Bengel and Chrom VI
"Not Only Decoration" (NOD) is a non-profit organisation that provides a platform for art and design projects that deal with social and ecological issues. It was founded by Laura Jack from Australia and Stephie Morawetz from Austria, both graduates of Trier University of Applied Sciences, specialising in gemstones and jewellery. "We have made it our mission to showcase projects that are significant for our society. They are more than mere decoration." "wearing change" will include over 20 artists raising their voices to stimulate discussion about the pressing issues in the world today. Issues such as migration, feminism and the impact of industry on the environment will be explored in the form of wearable objects or items around the body, among others.
05 July - 06 October 2019 at Villa Bengel
"Jewellery has moved me for a good 18 years. I have worked in many different workshops. I spent months or even years in some of them. During my time as a student in Idar-Oberstein, I also worked in a room in the Jakob Bengel factory. At another time, this room was a kitchen. A place where the family came together. A place where people ate together and shared. A place where stories and experiences were told. This knowledge and imagination have certainly influenced me in my work, because today I can figuratively say: when I travel, I "eat". When I tell, I share. When I "cook", I give things a new form. The pleasure comes with candour and bluntness."
26 April - 23 June 2019 at the Villa Bengel
Melsheimer - one of the most traditional addresses in the jewellery industry. Founded 150 years ago by Christian Melsheimer, initially as a trading company, Melsheimer manufactures a never-ending variety of jewellery of all kinds at its later production site "Auf der Acht". In addition to necklaces, bracelets, brooches, earrings and rings, Melsheimer's production in the 1960s and 1970s was characterised above all by jewellery accessories for the outerwear of fashion-conscious men and women. The company thus stands for an extremely successful era in the production of shoe jewellery, but also experienced the decline of the German shoe industry. The exhibition shows a spectacular cross-section of around 150 years of the company, which was run by the Melsheimer and Schwickert families until 2018.
15 March - 21 April 2019 in the Villa Bengel
The three graduates of Trier University of Applied Sciences, specialising in gemstones and jewellery, are united by their preoccupation with stone. After more than five years of working independently, they came together again to create a dialogue between their objects and jewellery:
"Minimum, maximum in improvised nonsense, wonderfully purring and prancing. In movement. Contrasts and contradictions. Multiplied questions. Crazy mutation. Three shamans. Mutated universes, but vibrating.
Sacred difference? Differentiated bollocks? Molten imbecility? Strong sense in planetary bowls. Forged or glued? Mica, glitter, ugly, cosmic. Towards the origin. Crack in the stone? Towards zero."
14 December 2018 - 28 February 2019 at the Villa Bengel
Is it a question of the place and its history? The people? Or the time? Or is it a collection of similar types of people who have a style-defining effect on a place, or who stand for it or are named as representatives of it? The independent positions of Sophie Baumgärtner, Jutta Kallfelz, Rudolf Kocea and Christine Matthias, although they studied at Burg Giebichenstein in Halle at different times and under different teaching approaches, allow conclusions to be drawn about a similar basic attitude: the materials are traditional in the broadest sense. They often appear to have grown, as if they were only created during the production process of the pieces. Pure in their materiality, the works are often surrounded by a touch of heaviness.
16 October to 7 December 2018 at Villa Bengel
Founded in 1818 by the goldsmith, can maker and foundryman Johann Karl Schmidt, Gebrüder Schmidt has been characterised from the outset by its willingness to invest in technical innovations.
For example, the first steam engine in the Principality of Birkenfeld ran at Gebrüder Schmidt. This and the in-house electroplating facility made the company one of the leading producers of mass-produced semi-finished products.
The company was quick to react to the transition from manual production to industrial manufacturing in the 19th century. The exhibition will feature jewellery and gallantry items, business and sample books as well as photographs from the company archive, realised with the financial support of the Rhineland-Palatinate Cultural Summer.
22 June - 14 October 2018 in the Villa Bengel
At the Idar-Oberstein University of Applied Sciences, jewellery is not only understood as a purely decorative element that serves solely to adorn the wearer, but above all as a statement of content.
Wearable sculptures are created from precious stones, precious metals and innovative materials, combining the properties of the material with artistic statements.
Students reflect on the significance of jewellery in today's world and learn to position themselves as designers.
"New Jewellery from Idar-Oberstein (nsaio)" is the sixth edition of the exhibition series of the same name, with which Trier University of Applied Sciences at the Idar-Oberstein site honours selected and award-winning works from the gemstone and jewellery department.
12 May - 17 June 2018 The exhibition will be opened by Prof. Theo Smeets on 12 May 2018 at 16:00. In the Villa Bengel
Gemeinsam mit dem Kultursommer Rheinland-Pfalz lädt die Stiftung Jakob Bengel am zweiten Mai- Wochenende zu zahlreichen Veranstaltungen ein. Anlass ist die feierliche Übergabe des historischen Fabrikgebäudes als bedeutendes Kulturdenkmal nach einer mehr als 10-jährigen Planungs- und Bauphase an die Öffentlichkeit. VertreterInnen der Landesregierung und FachplanerInnen aus dem Amt für Denkmalpflege werden über die bauliche Erhaltung und Entwicklung dieses außergewöhnlichen städtebaulichen Ensembles sprechen.Über die Durchführung der baulichen Maßnahmen hinaus hat sich die Jakob Bengel-Stiftung zum Ziel gesetzt, das kulturelle Erbe der Idar-Obersteiner Schmuck- und Metallwarenindustrie durch den Aufbau einer Sammlung ihrer historischen Hinterlassenschaften zu sichern. Mit der finanziellen Unterstützung des Kultursommers Rheinland-Pfalz präsentiert die Sonderausstellung „Obersteiner Schmuck- und Metallwarenindustrie im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert“ erste Ergebnisse dieses stadthistorischen Auftrags in den neuen Ausstellungsräumen des Fabrikgebäudes. Gezeigt wird ein repräsentativer Überblick über Schmuckprodukte und Hersteller aus der Region.Neben Musterbüchern und Entwürfen besitzt die Jakob Bengel-Stiftung einen außergewöhnlichenFundus an Modeschmuck, Galanteriewaren und Dokumenten lokaler Hersteller, durch den nicht nur der Schmuck, sondern auch Arbeitsabläufe und das Leben in und außerhalb einer solchen Fabrik ineinen historischen Kontext gestellt werden können. Elemente dieser Ausstellung sollen in die künftige Dauerausstellung des Industriedenkmals eingehen. Vorträge zur Geschichte des Modeschmucksaus Idar-Obersteiner Produktion und zu dem berühmten Art-Déco-Schmuck der Firma Jakob Bengelergänzen das Programm zur Neueröffnung des Industriedenkmals Jakob Bengel.Die Ausstellung wird mit finanzieller Unterstützung des Kultursommers Rheinland-Pfalz ermöglicht.
12. Mai – 13. Mai 2018 Eröffnungswochenende im Industriedenkmal Jakob Bengel
Pforzheim is known worldwide for its jewellery industry, which was founded 250 years ago. But there have been and still are individual jewellery designers of outstanding importance in the gold town. The Pforzheim gemstone and jewellery company Schütt took this constellation as an opportunity to invite 18 jewellery artists with close ties to Pforzheim to take part in the "unikate" exhibition project. In the run-up to the exhibition, they were able to choose a gemstone from the Schütt range on the condition that the stone of their choice was incorporated into the design of the piece of jewellery to be exhibited. The aim was not only to promote local designers, but also to channel the theme of gemstone processing into new creative directions.
29 March - 6 May 2018 at Villa Bengel
The artist combines her traditional craftsmanship with the new technologies of the "haptic arm" and 3D printing. Silvia Weidenbach's innovative approach has led to a wealth of new possibilities in jewellery making, which she herself calls "digital craftsmanship". The new tools, ways of thinking and ways of making have been trialled in collaborative projects with architects, filmmakers and renowned companies such as BMW and Microsoft. Her involvement as a Visiting Lecturer at the Royal College of Arts in London enables an ongoing dialogue with experts in analogue and digital processes to explore the possibilities, values and relevance of the new digital tools for the jewellery sector.
15 October to 24 November 2017 at Villa Bengel
A Dutch couple show pieces of jewellery that they have collected over the last fifteen years. Jewellery to wear, to look at, to examine, to think about, to admire. The pieces were selected for their wearability, sculptural quality and poetic expressiveness. Some pieces are very large, others very small, some extravagant or wistful, unruly, unsettling or, in contrast, carefree and full of life. The exhibition features works by artists from Germany, Finland, Israel, New Zealand, Spain, Mexico, North America, the Czech Republic, China and the Netherlands. The exhibition shows a very personal selection of the best works that the world of artistic jewellery has produced in the last two decades.
23 June to 1 October 2017 at Villa Bengel
Flora Vagi comes from Hungary, Castello Hansen was born in Denmark. An artist and an artist, who at first glance could not be more different, exhibit together: Vagi works mainly in wood and paper; Hansen primarily in metal and plastic.
Hansen says: "For me, jewellery is a medium of communication - highly condensed, not unlike poetry. It's a journey from something small to something bigger, a different nature, ethereal if you like."
Vagi says: "I create objects that are meaningful to the wearer - jewellery that not only adorns, but "speaks" or sometimes "echoes". I work in a language that is understandable without words, so that a verbal explanation becomes secondary."
4 April to 18 June 2017 at Villa Bengel
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