Captivating Lightness of Stainless Steel

Pawel Kaczynski has been creating jewelry with an iconic characteristic style for almost 15 years. But, it has only been 2 years that a lot has been talked about him and his latest collection of stainless steel in the Polish jewelry scene.

Pawet Kaczyriski loves to experiment with a wide variety of materials and different surface designs where he frequently combines materials that don't seem to match one another. In his work, he has already effectively combined eggs with metal and amber with aluminum. He surprised everybody by using the unique combination of artificial grass and silver jewelry. Searching for new ideas is the motivating force that drives him on to discover hitherto unknown physical characteristics in the materials he crafts. Can silver look like leather? Can stainless steel be made to appear like silk fabric? In Pawel Kaczynski's world, the answer is yes!

A couple of years ago he launched his first attempts to use mesh to make jewelry. He started off by experimenting with silver mesh, then bronze mesh. He only added stainless steel later, but that left a lasting impression on him, particularly the plasticity of stainless steel that people rarely take advantage of. This is his way of breaking through the stereotypes people have of stainless steel. It's generally associated with limited formability, weight and massive shapes. But, Kaczynski's stainless steel jewelry catches you off balance because of its unexpected lightness. But, that's not enough. He creates pieces of jewelry in the form of flowers from this material that are naturally delicate and fragile. Each line bears a stunning name: garden, earth, water, fire or tree, etc. They dazzle you with references to reality and its expression - not just with fascinating form, but also with a matching range of colors.

Bracelet clasps figure prominently in his collections, which is also the result of many years of experimenting. They combine a high degree of functionality and aesthetics. Their form is geometric and pure because they're made of silver. They are often what leaves the most lasting impression on your imagination, transforming them into the main element in this piece of jewelry.

Pawel Kaczynski has been creating jewelry for 15 years and - as is frequently the case with artists - he has a coincidence to thank for his adventure with jewelry. He originally satisfied his interest in art with drawing and sculpture. Sometimes, although relatively seldom, he adds a certificate to his piece of jewelry in the form of a drawing he made himself. He was already known as a designer when he studied at the Institute for Jewelry and graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz. The first bracelets made of steel mesh were for his master's thesis, and his efforts were definitely not in vain because he not only got good marks, but also some intriguing ideas that inspired him to create new collections. One is the combination of cold gray stainless steel with vivacious multicolor Swarovski crystals. He is a member of the "Group of Six" founded in 2001 and his artistic work for it is also inspiring. Every year they create a new exhibition centered around a new theme (they always have their premier at the Amberif Fair for Amber, Jewelry and Precious Stones). They added new works to each of the exhibitions during the year - excepting this one, where each member did only work on one piece on the theme of gold - and presented them in various galleries for the goldsmith's art in Poland.

You can find Pawel Kaczynski's jewelry in a series of galleries for jewelry and the goldsmith's art throughout Europe. A case in point is last summer where he showcased his work at the individual exhibition at the Danish Museum of Art in Copenhagen. His jewelry has also been made known to Germany and an international audience at exhibitions of Polish design such as at the Goldsmithing Artists' Association, in the Gallery for the Goldsmith's Art in Legnica and the Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz, the gallery of Bettina Mayer in Berlin, the Flow Gallery in London and also in cities such as Prague and Florence. One foreign exhibition is slated for this year in the Galleri Brantebjerg in Nykobing in Denmark.