Dutch artist Evert Nijland’s adornment navigates between the primal and sophisticated, historic and modern, luxe and quotidian, tangible and intellectual. His work is created from diverse sources: historical aesthetics and styles, especially the Baroque, are translated into contemporary objects that fuse traditional artisan skills with modern technologies, and contrast a wide range of materials, such as glass, linen and silver. Thorns 2 evokes the centuries of religious art in which the crown of thorns placed on the head of Jesus Christ has become a symbol of pain, sacrifice and redemption. Seemingly vicious with its handblown glass spikes, yet surprisingly comfortable to wear, Nijland’s neckpiece is a dramatic statement that collapses the distinctions between the spiritual and secular, and the suffering and embellished body. Nijland is a graduate of the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, and recipient of several international awards. His work is included in public and private collections in Europe and the US.
Evert Nijland
THORNS 2
2017
handblown glass, handwoven linen, and silver
12 1/4 x 10 1/4 x 2 3/4 inches