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WELFE BOWYER
Sculptural Jewellery & Photography
Artist Bio:
Welfe Bowyer is an artist based in Mahurangi East, who graduated from the Victoria School of Architecture in Wellington, New Zealand in 2005. He has always been interested in designing three-dimensional forms, irrespective of scale.
An award-winning student (Dulux Architecture & Design Award 2004) and a finalist for the Mari Funaki Award 2018 with his series '2C'/Twice Cast, he simultaneously began experimenting with jewellery design while working in Architecture. This allowed him the perfect medium with which to conceptualise, experiment and create on a different scale.
Predominantly self-taught, in combination with skills courses at Melbourne Polytechnic, Bowyer's jewellery has its emphasis on form and structure, creating hand made textures with common alloys of bronze, silver and gold and combining them in unique ways. He often utilises found objects and plays off the strengths of one material over another to create a language that speaks of time, erosion, memory and how pieces might evolve in the future as they are worn.
Sterling Silver, 18ct Gold, Sapphires
Found Wood, Enamel, Sterling Silver, Garnet, Thread
Sterling Silver, 18ct Gold
Sterling Silver, Bronze, Found Wood, Enamel, Diamond
Galleries:
- Masterworks Gallery - Auckland
The National Gallery - Christchurch
Kaukau - Wellington
Exhibitions:
- May 2023 / VITRINE / Melbourne Design Week / Naarm, Melbourne
September 2022 / ON/OFF/YES/NO (solo) / E.G. Etal Gallery / Naarm, Melbourne
July 2022 / Rings / The National Gallery / Otautahi, Christchurch
February 2022 / MAHURANGI ARTIST STUDIO TRAIL
December 2021 / Scattered Seeds (solo) / KauKau Gallery/ Poneke, Wellington
November 2021 / Raumati Summer Salon / Masterworks Gallery / Tamaki Makaurau, Auckland
October 2021 / UNCAST (solo) / Craft Contemporary / Melbourne
July 2021 / Every Artist Ever / Stockroom Gallery / Kyneton
August 2019 / FEAST / Stockroom Gallery / Kyneton
July 2019 / I’m So Tired, But I love You (Solo) / E.G. Etal Gallery / Melbourne
November 2018 / Do You Copy? / Temp Contemp Gallery / Brunswick
August 2018 / Mari Funaki Award 2018 (finalist) / Gallery Funaki / Melbourne
November 2017 / OFFCUTS (solo) / Precinct 35 Gallery / Wellington
October 2017 / Inimitable / E.G.Etal Gallery / Melbourne
November 2016 / Rarer Than Diamonds / E.G.Etal Gallery / Melbourne
August 2016 / Microlith part II (solo) / E.G.Etal Gallery / Melbourne
March 2016 / Microlith (solo) / Precinct 35 Gallery / Wellington
August 2012 / Utility (craft cubed Victoria) / Stockroom Gallery / Kyneton
May 2011 / You Are Here / Stockroom Gallery / Kyneton