Resident from September 1, until December 1, 2024, and from February 1 to 28, 2025
Maria Konschake is a jewellery designer whose work fades the line between critical design an art. She uses jewellery as a medium to explore social relevant themes, with special attention for identity. Her creations manifest themselves as body-related items that call on reflection and challenge the viewer to think about the complex relationship between jewellery, identity and memory.
Maria’s current research concentrates on the concept of the memory, where she uses the deviation in the memory as an artistic strategy. She researches how mistakes and deviations in our memory can influence the way we see our identity. Maria offers a perspective on the changing nature of the memory and its influence on our identity, by intertwining personal and cultural dimensions.
During her residency at DIVA, Maria will continue her PhD-research An Act of Deviation: When Objects Carry Memories. She is planning on creating a new collection of objects that will research the role of museums in shaping the cultural memory. Inspired by the DIVA-collection, Maria will visualise forgotten or non-existent stories through her jewellery, so that she can create pieces that challenge the conventional perceptions and that involve viewers in a deeper exploration of memory and identity.
Maria Konschake is connected to the University of Hasselt and PXL-MAD School of Arts, Hasselt, as a researcher. Her research is financed by the Bijzonder Onderzoeksfonds (BOF) from the University of Hasselt (BOF21DOC04).