Theresa Nguyen to exhibit silver in UK
January 23, 2011 – From March to October 2011, visitors to the National Trust property of Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire will be able to admire silver creations by one of the UK’s most talented young silversmiths, Theresa Nguyen.
The exhibition, “Studio Silver Today”, will take place in the columned central entrance known as Caesar’s Hall.
The exhibition tells the story of the Goldsmiths’ Company and the career of Theresa Nguyen.
Rosemary Ransome Wallis, Curator of the Collections at the Goldsmiths’ Company, explains: “The aim of this exhibition at Kedleston Hall is to broaden the public’s understanding of contemporary silver design and its craft. The same handcraft skills are used today as those that were used by the eighteenth century silversmiths represented at Kedleston.
“There is a distinct difference however. Studio silver today is a true decorative art with creative work being produced by individual artist craftsmen, which is highly sought after by collectors and patrons.”
In addition to the exhibition of her work Theresa has agreed to be “silversmith in residence” at Kedleston. On specified Saturdays throughout the duration of the show she will be present to talk to visitors about her work and demonstrate her skills at a workbench set up within the body of the exhibition.
The Goldsmiths’ Company, which has sponsored the event, has also commissioned Theresa to make a contemporary tumbler, which will be the prize for a competition draw open to all visitors attending the exhibition.
Of Vietnamese origin, Theresa was born and grew up in the United Kingdom. Her grandfather was a gunsmith in Vietnam and it is from him that Theresa feels she has inherited her inventiveness, precision and a love of aesthetic detail.
Theresa graduated in 2007 from the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design with a BA Hons in Jewellery and Silversmithing and now practices as a silversmith from her studio workshop in the heart of the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter.
With considerable vigour and tenacity, Theresa works silver sheets into exciting new forms, capturing softness and fluidity in a seemingly unmoveable material.
Her inspiration comes from the mysteries and surprises of the natural world and she endeavours to transfer the gentle waves of life’s energy and movement into her silver objects. Her constant exploration of fold-forming and hammering techniques results in sensuous surface textures and undulating forms.
“Studio Silver Today” – An exhibition of silver by silversmith Theresa Nguyen At Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire
Saturday March 5 to Saturday October 29, 2011
