at CODA Museum : Ute Eitzenhofer and Iris Bodemer
opening on sunday 1th of june 14:30
In this exposition CODA Museum brings together the jewellery of Iris Bodemer (1970) and Ute Eitzenhöfer (1969). Both Bodemer en Eitzenhöfer approach the materials they use without discriminating between what is valuable and what is worthless. Expression, experiment and exploration play an important role in the work and development of both artists.
Iris Bodemer’s jewellery can be both sensuous and rough. She works with a broad gamut of materials, ranging from gold and gemstones to rubber and string, with no hierarchical relation between the materials she uses to achieve her final form.
It is not just Iris Bodemer’s jewels that are autonomous art objects. Her method is also one of autonomy, of independence or, as jewellery expert Marjan Unger puts it in an article: “Iris Bodemer does not refer to predecessors or contemporaries. She completely follows her own course. But she does not make autonomous works just so they can be exhibited. Her jewels are essentially made for the human body and, as such, come to life when worn.”
It is not just Iris Bodemer’s jewels that are autonomous art objects. Her method is also one of autonomy, of independence or, as jewellery expert Marjan Unger puts it in an article: “Iris Bodemer does not refer to predecessors or contemporaries. She completely follows her own course. But she does not make autonomous works just so they can be exhibited. Her jewels are essentially made for the human body and, as such, come to life when worn.”
Iris Bodemer -Neckpiece: Untitled, 2008 – Meteorite, pyrite, diamond crystals, agate, silver, polypropylene, glueFrom the work « Ingredients«
Iris Bodemer, Neckpiece, « Ingredients », 2008 – Agate, copper, lemon, reconstructed coral, woolPhoto: Julian Kirschler
At first glance, Ute Eitzenhöfer’s jewellery appears to have been made to wear and to adorn. Nevertheless her jewels certainly do tell a story. They contemplate and criticise modern society and encourage observers to think about the relationship between people and materialistic things, the meaning of everyday objects and how we treat them. Materials symbolise superficial beauty, are mass-produced and discarded just as easily. The combination with other materials in Eitzenhöfer’s jewellery gives them a different ‘value’.
Ute Eitzenhöfer
Ute Eitzenhöfer 
Ute EitzenhöferCODA Museum
Vosselmanstraat 299
(Museumingang: hoek Vosselmanstraat/Roggestraat)
7311 CL Apeldoorn
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