Kristina Jurk
she/they
Cologne, Germany
"I‘m Kristina, a 30 year old jewelry designer from Cologne, Germany. I'm currently participating in the jewelry design masters program in Pforzheim, Germany. I love experimental working with alternative materials and fluidly discovering new shapes and forms in my process.
Most of my projects evolve around topics that move me personally, such as gender, identity and sexuality. With my work I am trying to tell stories. I often use unusual placements to gain more attention. Currently I‘m in the process of exploring the human face as it is ones most expressive, personal, emotional and visible body part."
“Flowers have long been symbols of natural beauty: tender, soft, colorful, and radiant. Yet these qualities don’t apply only to flowers – they also describe the queer community. Beauty is often linked to symmetry, and countless artificial methods exist to achieve a supposedly perfect balance. But neither flowers nor faces are ever truly symmetrical. It is precisely their edges, irregularities, and imperfections that make them unique and remarkable.
My silicone face jewelry draws inspiration from the shape of flower petals, capturing their subtle irregularities through delicate deviations. In doing so, the project also explores the boundary between jewelry and make-up – a space where decoration dissolves into transformation. Almost symmetrical elements on an almost symmetrical surface – Where are we constrained by the expectations of the beauty industry, and where can those very aesthetics become tools of free creative expression, identity, and flourishing?”
How does your work relate to the theme of flourish(ing)?
“Flourishing – My work takes the theme quite literally at first: it is inspired by flower petals. I removed the petals from their original arrangement and recombined them into new shapes, colors and constellations. Sometimes it takes just a single element, reinterpreted and rearranged, to flourish in an entirely new way.
This approach can also be understood metaphorically: sometimes it only takes a change of environment, a drop of water on a dried out flower, a ray of light, a community standing behind you and reminding you you're right just the way you are, to make you flourish in a whole new way."
NYCJW24 @ UrbanGlass, Francely Flores
"HELL BENT", "Champlevé enamel on oxidized copper, brass findings, silver rivets, 4.5” x 3.5”, 2024"How does your creative practice allow you to flourish (grow, thrive, blossom)?
“My creative practice allows me to express myself and communicate topics that move me to the outside world. It opens up a door to conversations that would never had happen without.
I love how the borders between materials and disciplines can be blurred and bended. It does not need much in order to create something that catches attention - just a lot of creativity and attitude. This is something I've constantly observed in the art of drag and ballroom and taken into my own creative practice. Within all that, I hope I can make some queer individuals shine and flourishing while wearing my work. My wish is that, while wearing my pieces, queer individuals feel seen, celebrated and empowered to flourish.”
NYCJW24 @ UrbanGlass, Francely Flores
As a queer+ artist, what would you like to see and/or what do you need in order to flourish during this time?
“The process of creating my pieces was rather introverted – days spent alone on my couch, carefully gluing petal by petal. Since the glue needs at least 24 hours to dry, I fixed each layer with clamps and waited patiently before adding the next. I love this contrast: something so slow and quiet in its making, that once completed and brought into the light, suddenly blossoms – present, loud, and flourishing.
One of my favorite aspects was coloring the petals with eyeshadow. This choice allows the makeup to be removed and replaced, opening up endless possibilities for recoloring and transformation. The pieces can also be applied in countless ways and combinations, leaving space for individuality and personality to shine through the jewelry. In this sense, there is no clear boundary between jewelry and makeup – they flow into one another, just as fluidly as their possible wearers.”
“For me personally, queer community is what makes me flourish. Nowhere else in the world do I feel more seen and more like myself. Queerness inspires me and is an essential part of my everyday life – both as a person and as an artist. What I wish for is even greater solidarity and closeness within our community. There is still too much exclusion and discrimination even in our own spaces. If we could truly work on overcoming that, our flourishing as a community would soon be unstoppable.”
Anything else you would like to share about this work? This can be an important part of the process, sourcing materials, or research.
NYCJW24 @ UrbanGlass, Simon Leung
[queerphoria]v4 @ ECU Symposium
