Hidden stories #3
4 October 2024
Uncovering our collection
In honour of World Animal Day, curator-in-training Lauren Hermans dives into the wonderful animal kingdom of Felieke van der Leest.
Super Freak Zebra, Gonzales Brothers en Pregnant Grizzly Bearmaid. Photos Tommy de Lange en Eddo Hartmann.
On pregnant bearmaids and camouflage deer with target pants
Felieke van der Leest's jewellery zoo
Since 1996, jewellery designer Felieke van der Leest (Emmen 1968) has created a unique world full of humorous animals, plants and objects. These reside on the edge of wearable jewellery and miniature sculptures.
After training as a goldsmith in Schoonhoven, van der Leest continued her studies at the goldsmith department at the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. At this department, using base metals such as plastic and paper was already common when making jewellery, but combining them with textile techniques such as crochet and knitting was innovative. This attracted a lot of attention when she presented her graduation project. The TextielMuseum immediately bought five works. This collection subsequently grew to some 30 objects through various purchases between 1996 and 2003.
Rescue Ducks in Pond
From children's toys to wearable art objects
Felieke grew up in Emmen, close to the zoo, so her fascination with animals started at an early age. In her art practice, this fascination with animals lives on, but in miniature versions. Her studio is full of different species of animals, made of hard plastic. You know, the kind that can always be found in large quantities in toy shops. Van der Leest cuts up and transforms these children's toys by dressing them up with crocheted and knitted accessories and attributes. She gives them a new identity and funny external features. As if these imaginative animals stepped right out of the children's book Alice in Wonderland.
Pregnant Panda Bearmaid. Photo: Tommy de Lange
Van der Leest's works can not only be worn as jewellery but can also be presented as miniature sculptures in their own right. For instance, the work Rescue Ducks in Pond consists of a bracelet with a clasp in the shape of a sandwich, after which five small rubber ducks swim in succession. For safety, each duckling wears a crocheted swimming belt. But the ducklings can also be placed on the accompanying crocheted mini pond as if they were swimming around in it. And although the Pregnant Polar Bearmaid simply appears to be one figurine of a polar bear wearing a knitted jumper and mermaid's tail, underneath it hides another mini polar bear that can be worn independently as a brooch.
Piglet with the Red Boots en Camouflage Deer with Target Pants. Photo's: Eddo Hartmann
Humour and profundity: jewellery with a message
Van der Leest's jewellery offers amusing commentary on traditional jewellery making. Some works, such as Piglet with the Red Boots, resemble silver and gold chains but are made of thin crochet yarn with no metal used at all. In later works, the contrast between the used materials is also striking: Van der Leest combines gold-forged elements and beaded embroidery with cheap, plastic animal figures. The artist plays on the funny and illogical aspect of these different materials, often making her works look absurd.
Yet there is a deeper layer hidden in the objects. With comical and strange elements in her jewellery, Van der Leest shows how shallow and vain people are sometimes. For instance, Macho Penguin Freddie wears a bathrobe and a silver polar bear claw necklace around his neck. In the past, jewellery was used to signify that someone was important. The artist ridicules this very idea by depicting animals, which have no materialistic possessions, as human characters. The resulting surrealist jewellery has a different function from that of typical jewellery. The works in this collection all reside on the border between jewellery and fine art.
The drawer with the collection inside at our depot. Photo: Lauren Hermans
A drawer full of wonder
The collection is neatly stored in a number of drawers in the TextielMuseum's depot. When I ask collection manager Rosalie Swagemakers whether I can get a closer look at Van der Leest's jewellery, she opens the drawer with a big smile. Every single piece of jewellery seems to be her favourite and for every object she knows its unique title by heart. To name just a few: Pregnant Panda Bearmaid, Camouflage Deer with Target Pants, The Ill Whale.
With her funny and creative style, Felieke van der Leest creates a remarkable world where animals and jewellery come together. Her works are not only visually fascinating, but make us look critically at our own lifestyles and their indirect effect on the animal kingdom. In other words: the perfect work to highlight on October fourth!
Bunch of Goldfish with Dobber Pants en Hare O'harix and his six Carrots. Photos: Eddo Hartmann en Tommy de Lange
Plan your visit
Buy a ticketWritten by curator-in-training Lauren Hermans
Want to see more of our museum collection?
Share with friends
