Grace Yu Piper

Artist statement

The process of making art is a tool that I use to make sense of the world around me.

I am interested in challenging ideas of value and disrupting the hierarchy of objects.

I am intrigued by small details, the unseen and the mundane.

Bio

Grace Yu Piper is a Wellington-based contemporary jeweller who graduated from Whitireia Community Polytechnic in 2017 with a Bachelor of Applied Arts. Grace has exhibited in New Zealand and internationally.

Grace’s practice explores the functionality of jewellery and seeks to challenge our preconceived notions of what jewellery is. Stone is her material of choice. “I enjoy the slow pace and meditative aspects of carving. Each piece has to be thought about methodically and calculated – carving is a reductive process so all decisions made are final. Stone has a connection to nature and to place. It is a slow material that counteracts the fast paced and disposable world that we live in.”

Grace Yu Piper‘s images

Rattle, 2022, Argillite, basalt, nephrite jade, greywacke, cord, 100 x 70 x 20mm

Hook, 2021, Rhyolite, basalt, sterling silver, 26 x 19 x 14mm

Butterfly, 2021, Greywacke, black nephrite jade, sterling silver, 13 x 13 x 21mm

Ripple, 2020, Basalt, sterling silver, stainless steel, 61 x 61 x 15mm

Chime, 2022, Argillite, greywacke, unknown stone, cord, 100 x 100 x 45mm