ABOUT
the body and more
Pushing against boundaries in the field of jewellery has intrigued me since the 1970s.
The process has long and deep roots, connecting continents, cultures and times.
For me, it began in Cape Town and led me to pursue extended studies in the USA, Amazon, Africa and India.
Traditional skills, far-removed techniques and materials: all useful tools, that have helped me to say what I needed to express as an artist.
The body and more being continuously aligned.
The more: an interplay between the inner and outer world, reactions to everyday life, political and social issues. Investigating the immediately surrounding space and light the body claims, whether in movement or not. A link between the individual and others.
Integrating wearers with the actual ‘objects to be worn’ invokes transformation and redefinition. It takes the process out of the author’s hands and begins to play an active role in the creative process.
Overall, my aim is to explore and pursue new ways of defining what jewellery might be.
Swiss-born Johanna Dahm spent the first 15 years of her life in Cape Town, South Africa. She graduated from the Jewellery Department at Zürich University of the Arts (formerly Kunstgewerbeschule) in Switzerland.
Among other awards, she has received the National Grant for Applied Arts from the Swiss Federal Government on three occasions, an award from Zurich University of the Arts in recognition of her work, and a grant for the Fine Arts from the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland.
From 1990 to 2005, she was a tenured professor in the Department of Jewellery at Pforzheim University in Germany. She has been a guest lecturer at various universities and institutions worldwide.
Her work has been widely published since 1972 and can be seen in international museums and collections. She lives and works in Zurich and Intragna, Switzerland.
CV, Johanna Dahm (PDF)
Represented by: Ornamentum Gallery, Hudson/NY/US ornamentumgallery.com
AJF-Blog, Susan Cummins, Johanna Dahm, Enhancement Rings, 2012 (PDF)