Otto Künzli (b. 1948, Switzerland)
Gold makes blind, 1980

Gold bracelet covered in black rubber. There are many ways to interpret the piece, but what gets me to post it here is articulation of “there is more to this than meets the eye”.

Jewellery art has been dealing with material hierarchies for quite some time now, this piece being a classic by now – hiding away the precious bling bling in a much cheaper and mundane cover rather than flaunting it. I don’t care much for that, I do not share interest for hierarchies at all. There are so many other aspects here that I find more curious. What makes us believe that there is gold inside to start with? This points to intricate social structures establishing trust. And if we are looking for values – how would you value promise of hidden gold vs trust for the jeweller and art world provenance vs ability of a piece to get you thinking and generating new insights?

From my perspective value here is not more hidden than in most other works, it is not gold that makes it interesting, it is its provocation of thought. And, I guess, the thought itself is always hidden, any articulation of a thought is not the same thing as the thought. It is interesting to think that essential part of my work is invisible and for me unknowable – all those thoughts that people get when encountering my work…