Apprentices and Prodigies

An exhibition of 12 up-and-coming contemporary New Zealand jewellers is on this month at Sydney’s Studio 2/17 gallery. ‘Handshake: Prentice and Prodigy’ is the brainchild of contemporary artist and jeweller, Peter Deckers. The Vine’s Jasmine O’Loughlin talks to Deckers, his mentor Andrea Wagner from Amsterdam and protégé New Zealander Neke Moa, about sewing the seeds of a new generation of jewellery designers and how other aspiring jewellers out there might make their mark. Deckers paired the design graduates with their ‘hero’, providing the newcomers with the opportunity for the collaboration of a lifetime. “The result?” Deckers says. “A lively website, touring exhibitions, a catalogue, and an exceptional learning experience for all involved.” ‘Handshake: Prentice and Prodigy’ runs through 21 August.