His pieces are based on his own face, which he employs as a mirror of his perception of the world and its influence on himself. His brooches and pendants go beyond the mere making of simple effigies, for through a vigorous process of abstraction he develops images that obtain a much more universal meaning. Another essential factor in Link’s approach, is his choice of materials: for his jewellery he mostly favours steel, which he supplements with plastic elements. Often these additions are mass-produced, but in this new context they acquire an unexpected, expressive quality. The work is further enhanced by applying zirconia – industrially produced diamonds – and inventively situated coloured surfaces. Working with these starting points, Niklas Link develops jewellery pieces that – next to their artisanal merits – derive their appeal from combining the mystery of masks, with the irony of the caricature or the expressiveness of a symbol.
Ward Schrijver, for the solo exhibition at the FrontRoom: NIKLAS LINK »Face ID Variety« at Gallery Rob Koudijs.
(© Galerie Rob Koudijs)
NIKLAS LINK
born 1989 in Rauenberg, Germany
lives and works in Saarbrücken, Germany
EDUCATION
2016
Bachelor of Arts with professor Georg Dobler and Karin Seufert
2012 – 2016
HAWK HHG, University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Hildesheim, Germany
2010 – 2012
Apprenticeship diploma as a goldsmith at Birgitta Knauth Jewellery in Rome, Italy
2007 – 2010
State certified designer, College for design of jewellery, objects and art, Goldschmiedeschule Pforzheim, Germany
SCHOLARSHIPS
2017
Exchange scholarship of the Künstlerhaus Lukas in Ahrenshoop, Germany at the Guesthouse Studio Hollufgård, Denmark, funded by the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023
»DISTORTED« Galerie Rob Koudijs at KunstRAI ART Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2021
»CHARACTERS« Galerie Rob Koudijs, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2020
»CHARACTERS« Galerie Biró, Munich, Germany
2017
»Face ID Variety« Galerie Rob Koudijs, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2022
»30 Years Part II« Galerie Biró, Munich, Germany
»HO! HO! HO!« Friends of Carlotta, Zurich, Switzerland
»30 Years Part I« Galerie Biró, Munich, Germany
»Gesichter – Faces« Galerie Handwerk, Munich, Germany
2021
»Auftakt. Sponsored jewelry artists of the first years – 2016 to 2021« BLECH (art space), Halle (Saale), Germany
»Radical Craft 3« Direktorenhaus, Berlin, Germany
»Ruudun Takaa – Taidekatu 2021« Pieksämäki, Finland
2020
»GRASSIMESSE« forum and fair for applied art and product design, Leipzig, Germany
»The contemporary metal art biennial METALLOphone 5: MUSEUM« Lithuanian National Museum, Vilnius, Lithuania
»DUO« duo exhibition with Birgitta Knauth, Birgitta Knauth Schmuck, Bonn, Germany
»Happy 10th Anniversary« ATTA Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand
»Friedrich Becker Prize 2020« (finalist) Stadtmuseum Düsseldorf and Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus Hanau, Germany
2019
»GRASSIMESSE« forum and fair for applied art and product design, Leipzig, Germany
»In Dialogue« TempContemp Northcity4 Gallery, Brunswick (Melbourne), Australia
»In Dialogue« Taidekeskus ITÄ / Art Centre East, Lappeenranta, Finnland
»BKV-Preis 2019 für Junges Kunsthandwerk« (finalist) Galerie bayerischer Kunstgewerbeverein, Munich, Germany
»In Dialogue« SCHMUCK 2019, Goldschmiede Barbara Fuchs, Munich, Germany
»Jewelry is like food. If you eat it you will want more.« Galerie Biró, Munich, Germany
Mini I-Land exhibition, ATTA Gallery Bangkok, Thailand
2018
»Das Schöne, Das Wahre, Das Edle« Galerie Biró, Munich, Germany
»GRASSIMESSE« forum and fair for applied art and product design, Leipzig, Germany
»Design without Boarders« a designshow in Budapest, Hungary
»My Munich« a curated exhibition at Internationale Handwerksmesse IHM, Galerie Biró, Munich, Germany
2017
»CELEBRATION« Artists of the Gallery, Galerie Rob Koudijs, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Georg Dobler: Students »Pretty Pieces«, Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus, Hanau, Germany
»HAUTNAH« duo exhibition with Marie Grewenig, Birgitta Knauth Schmuck, Bonn, Germany
2016
»The 3rd International Biennial of Contemporary Metal Art« (AV17) Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
»The 30th Edition of the Marzee International Graduate Show« Nijmegen, The Netherlands
»Alliages – The Legacy Award« Exhibition at JOYA Barcelona Art Jewellery Fair, Spain
»20/20« Kath Libbert Jewellery Gallery in Salts Mill, The UK
»HAUTNAH« duo exhibition with Marie Grewenig, Claudia Grewenig Schmuck, Saarbrücken, Germany
»gut – germany‘s upcoming talents« Galerie Biró Junior, Munich, Germany
2015
»Most Excellent! Ausgezeichnet!« Schmuck_Kunst für Helden, Chemnitz, Germany
»BIC MAJA 2015« Beijing International Contemporary Metal & Jewelry Art Exhibition 2015, Beijing, China
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
2019
Musée du Bijou Contemporain, Cagnes sur Mer, France
2018
Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim »ISSP Förderankauf«, Pforzheim, Germany
2014
GRASSI Museum für angewandte Kunst, Leipzig, Germany
PUBLICATIONS
2018
»The Reciprocity Issue« AUTOR Magazine #5, Romania
2017
Georg Dobler: Students »Pretty Pieces«, Fruehwerk Verlag, Germany
»Preziosa Young 2017« Contemporary Jewellery Catalogue, special mention, Italy
»Alliages – The Legacy Award 2016« Catalogue, France
2016
»The 3rd International Biennial of Contemporary Metal Art« (AV17) Gallery, Lithuania
»The 30th Edition of the Marzee International Graduate Show«, The Netherlands
»gut – germany‘s upcoming talents« Galerie Biró, Germany
»Most Excellent! Ausgezeichnet!« Jewellery _ Art for Heroes, Arnoldsche Art Publischers,Germany
2015
»uniting differences merging innovations – Beijing International Contemporary Metal & Jewelry Art Exhibition 2015« China World Art Museum, Beijing, China
2013
»Joies Divines – creacions amb discs de vinil« Edició: Escola Superior de Disseny de les Illes Balears
2008
»as we like it« Arnoldsche Art Publischers, Germany