Switzerland

Colour is a fundamental element in the work of Ermelinda Magro. She likes to use defined, unequivocal colours that do not leave space to misunderstandings. Strong colours that communicate faith in themselves. Bright colours that give a sense of light-heartedness. The pieces the artist makes aim to convey an optimistic, positive feeling. She is drawn to everyday life. Insignificant objects that are discarded and left to one side are of great interest to the artist. She inserts these elements into her pieces, using photos of these objects or the objects themselves. In this way, she gives a purpose to things that would normally be considered superfluous and no longer of any use. In addition, she is passionate about synthetic materials such as polystyrene, by their almost surreal consistency. She is fascinated by the idea that different materials may open up new possibilities; an example is the use Magro makes of resin, as it can conceal delicate, fragile elements that she would normally not be able to use, thus broadening the spectrum of exploitable materials available to her. Magro uses photographs of things we look at every day and maybe never even notice, and brings out their hidden meaning and beauty in pieces that draw people’s attention. The spectator is then left to interpret, or re-interpret, the object or photo brought into another context.

CV
Ermelinda Magro was born in Switzerland in 1968. She started making jewellery in 1998 after a previous career in a totally different field. She studied at Alchimia School for Contemporary Jewellery in Florence from 2004 to 2006, under Prof. Manfred Bischoff and Prof. Manuel Vilhena. Her work has been shown in exhibitions and galleries internationally and is featured in the Lark Books publication 500 Necklaces.