Participants (see their progress)
- Becky Bliss
- Nadene Carr
- Kirstin D'Agostino
- Lisa Higgins
- Nik Hanton
- Mandy Flood
- Caroline Thomas
- Aphra Cheesman
- Nina van Duijnhoven
- Mia Straka
- Raewyn Walsh
- Simon Swale
HS7 activities 
HANDSHAKE 7 activities
The HS7 activity programme aims to provoke creative development through experimentation, and endeavour.
The HS7 group started with a masterclass series over ZOOM with Estela Saez Vilanova from Barcelona. Estella's workshop sessions stretched till mid-June and pushed the HS7 artists with a variety of assignments.
The motivation of her masterclass is to search for inspiration, understand it, and when needed, apply it as a gathered experience to the working process of the artist. The HS7 artists revisited their usual making processes through a well-balanced comprehension of the conscious & unconscious phenomena, in an attempt to somehow merge the two.
After the intensive masterclass sessions of Estella Saez, each of the HS7 artists explored the discoveries and possible options for producing a new body of work for the MARZEE exhibition.
Next to the artistic development a series of feedback coach' sessions were planned for professional responses to the developing exhibition work of the HS7 artists.
The selection of international coaches picked by MARZEE were Iris Bodemer, Katharina Dettar, and Annelies Planteijdt. They gave multiple feedback during the second half of 2022 with their expertise and knowledge. Each of the feedback sessions was open to other HS7 artists with learning opportunities for all.
The overall overseer of the HS7 group is curator and writer Sarah McClintock from Masterton (NZ).
Sarah's role is to act as a surrogate for the audience; a kind of medium that connects the public and the artist. With her experience in writing and speaking about contemporary jewellery, Sarah provided insight and assistance that guided the HS7 artists in crafting the right words for their artist statements, alongside their making of the exhibition work.
HS7 blog posts
The pursuit of efficiency will drain your life of meaning* series 2022
*Oliver Burkeman, Sam Harris podcast #289 Time management for mortals approx 22:29 minutes I’m interested in how we experience, value and record time. As a social medium adornment has the potential to act as catalyst, conduit and communicator in this realm. I invited...
A Stitch in Time 2022
Spending time with a material that is bound for landfill might seem futile, or the conscious act of repair. Producing something that sits lightly on the body but holds a silent heavy narrative. A small act of personal activism in uncertain times. This work developed...
Reflecting on the Estela Saez workshop
I love loose organic forms. I like detailed moments. I like to cut and fold. Attending Estela’s workshop was such a gift and a wild journey. I with both feet did the assignments with full commitment and reckless abandon. The outcomes were not all good, but they were...
The garden of earthly delights
The final part of the Handshake 7 programme saw 3 artists from Galerie Marzee look over our work, over zoom, and offer a critical response. From the private spaces of our homes and studio spaces, we shared processes, concepts, and contexts and received generous, if...
Gallery Marzee presents: HandShake 7
HandShake 7 12 NZ jewellery artists 04-Dec-2022 till 11-02-2023 HS7 final exhibition is at galerie Marzee (curator Marie-José van Hout), Nijmegen, the Netherlands, opening ceremony Su 4 December 2022. HS7 artist, Mia Straka, represents the HS7 artists and HS...
HandShake 7 activities
The HS7 activity programme aims to provoke creative development through experimentation, and endeavour.
The HS7 group started with a masterclass series over ZOOM with Estela Saez Vilanova from Barcelona. Estella's workshop sessions stretched till mid-June pushed the HS7 artists with variety of assignments.
The motivation of her masterclass is to search for inspiration, understand it, and when needed, is applied as a gathered experience to the working process of the artist. The HS7 artists revisited their usual making processes through a well-balanced comprehension of the conscious & unconscious phenomena, in an attempt to somehow merge the two.
After the intensive masterclass sessions of Estella Saez, each of the HS7 artists explore the discoveries and possible options of producing a new body of work for the MARZEE exhibition.
Next to the artistic development a series of feedback coach' sessions were planned for professional responses to the developing exhibition work of the HS7 artists.
The selection of international coaches picked by MARZEE were Iris Bodemer, Katharina Dettar, Annelies Planteijdt. They gave multiple feedback during the second half of 2022 with their expertise and knowledge. Each of the feedback sessions were open to watch to other HS7 artists with learning opportunities for all.
The overall overseer of the HS7 group is curator and writer Sarah McClintock from Masterton (NZ).
Sarah's role is to act as a surrogate for the audience; a kind of medium that connects the public and the artist. With her experience in writing and speaking about contemporary jewellery, Sarah provided insight and assistance that guided the HS7 artist in crafting the right words for their artist statements, alongside their making of the exhibition work.
The end is only the beginning..
Just like that, 2022 has been and gone, and we are already in the 2nd month of the new year. As Dubowski puts it: “We are paper thin. We exist on luck amid the percentages, temporarily. And that’s the best part and the worst part, the temporal factor.” As the years...
Handshake7 at Gallery Marzee
The Exhibition Climbing up the industrial iron staircase to our final Handshake7 exhibition on the second floor of Gallery Marzee in the Netherlands, I am greeted by a narrow gallery with twelve rectangular tables. Standing to attention in a linear row, they are...
The pursuit of efficiency will drain your life of meaning* series 2022
*Oliver Burkeman, Sam Harris podcast #289 Time management for mortals approx 22:29 minutes I’m interested in how we experience, value and record time. As a social medium adornment has the potential to act as catalyst, conduit and communicator in this realm. I invited...
HS8, call for jewellery artists
deadline 17 January 2023, 5pm Application is now open for HANDSHAKE 8 (2023-2024). The HANDSHAKE mentor and exhibition programme continues with a new cumulative two-year project. This call is open for NZ artists who can commit and want to refresh and/or accelerate...
A Stitch in Time 2022
Spending time with a material that is bound for landfill might seem futile, or the conscious act of repair. Producing something that sits lightly on the body but holds a silent heavy narrative. A small act of personal activism in uncertain times. This work developed...
Reflecting on the Estela Saez workshop
I love loose organic forms. I like detailed moments. I like to cut and fold. Attending Estela’s workshop was such a gift and a wild journey. I with both feet did the assignments with full commitment and reckless abandon. The outcomes were not all good, but they were...
The garden of earthly delights
The final part of the Handshake 7 programme saw 3 artists from Galerie Marzee look over our work, over zoom, and offer a critical response. From the private spaces of our homes and studio spaces, we shared processes, concepts, and contexts and received generous, if...
Gallery Marzee presents: HandShake 7
HandShake 7 12 NZ jewellery artists 04-Dec-2022 till 11-02-2023 HS7 final exhibition is at galerie Marzee (curator Marie-José van Hout), Nijmegen, the Netherlands, opening ceremony Su 4 December 2022. HS7 artist, Mia Straka, represents the HS7 artists and HS...
WHĀNUI at the National
'Whānui' is an exhibition by ten innovative Aotearoa artists that have participated in former HANDSHAKE projects. The HANDSHAKE project has been for the last 10 years instrumental in supporting early career and emerging jewellery artists, allowing them in developing...
TWO noticeable Jewellery exhibitions in Auckland
MORPH HS6 exhibition, NORTHART, Northcote, Auckland, 30th August – 8th October 2022 ‘MORPH’ represents the final body of work created by the twelve artists of Handshake 6. MORE Aotearoa Jewellery Triennial The first Jewellery Triennial is at Objectspace, Auckland, 10...
Estela Saez masterclass
Being able to relax and enjoy workshops has become a lot easier since I have been in the Handshake programs. Before my very first masterclasses with Iris Eichenberg in February 2020, I hardly slept and was very stressed. Not knowing what to expect, and not...
Aotearoa Jewellery Triennial
A Stone, an Echo, a Sign: Aotearoa Jewellery Triennial 10 Sep–20 Nov 2022 Curated by Emma Ng Featuring new work by Becky Bliss, Neke Moa, Shelley Norton, Rowan Panther, Moniek Schrijer and Raewyn Walsh Whether it’s a bangle of Chinese jade, a carefully lashed toki...
MORPH exhibition
MORPH HS6 exhibition, NORTHART, Northcote, Auckland, 30th August – 8th October 2022 ‘MORPH’ represents the final body of work created by the twelve artists of Handshake 6. MORPH refers to transformation, this exhibition seeks to demonstrate that quality through the...
and zooming out
I too, attended the masterclass led by Estela Saez. It got me thinking about the sun and the moon and led me here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fKBhvDjuy0&t=35s The Powers of Ten ...
Masterclass with Estela Saez
Our masterclass with Estela was engaging, thought provoking and fast paced. During our meetings, there was no time to over think things – sometimes we only had 30 seconds to make something so we no choice but to go with our first instincts. It was challenging (in a...