THREADS OF GOLD
BBA Gallery
Berlin (DE)
Gold — a material, a metaphor, and a mystery — has long held a unique and magnetic place in the human imagination, symbolising wealth, power, divinity, and eternity. Used across centuries and cultures, from sacred iconography to imperial regalia, and from the alchemy of transformation to the Japanese art of kintsugi repair, gold has always carried a weight beyond its monetary value. Presented by BBA Gallery, this exhibition, 'Threads of Gold', explores this material not merely as adornment but as a conscious artistic choice — a potent decision made to highlight, to question, to honour, or to protect.
The artists gathered here use gold as an expressive medium, allowing it to become a language, a gesture, a form of resistance, and a revelation. Whether applied as a delicate wash, embedded deep within a structure, or engaged with purely conceptually, gold in this context is never neutral; it directs the viewer's gaze toward what truly matters: personally, politically, and spiritually. Some works choose to gild the overlooked, drawing attention to forgotten objects or marginalised narratives, while others expose and challenge what is conventionally deemed valuable. The approach is multifaceted, engaging with gold’s roles as a carrier of value (spiritual or economic), a link to rich artistic traditions, and a cutting commentary on contemporary issues of desire, wealth, or decay.
'Threads of Gold' brings together diverse voices and disciplines to reflect on this enduring material’s profound and often contradictory significances. This collection explores gold as a powerful symbol, surface, or structure, challenging us to consider what it hides, what it reveals, what it promises — and what it truly costs. The exhibition ultimately honours the precious, the decorative, and the meaningful, compelling us to ask: What do we emphasise with gold? And why?
Presenting works by:
Verena Bachl (Germany), Tim Bengel (Germany), Anikó Boda (Hungary), Clément Claudius (Germany), Giulietta Coates (France), Jahna Dahms (Germany), Jens Juul (Denmark), Renata Kudlacek (Germany), Katarina Kudelova (France), Luca Ortis (United Kingdom), Kostas Papakostas (United Kingdom), Nicolas Vionnet (Switzerland).
Opening Reception:
Thursday, 20. November, 18:00 – 21:00
Opening times: Tuesday – Saturday, 12:00 – 18:00
Further information can be found on the BBA Gallery website.
TOOLS
Manifest Gallery
Cincinnati, Ohio (US)
A tool has a function. It extends the hand, allowing us to accomplish something that our body cannot do alone. It can be as simple as a stick employed to dig into the earth, or possess the technical sophistication of a particle accelerator blasting electrons along a path. We use these machines, equipment, and devices of varying complexity to create, to move, and to power. They are the things we employ for our labor.
A tool can become an icon representing the work or role of the user—certain jobs or careers come to mind when you think of a pencil, a stethoscope, a needle, a pipette, a gun. A tool can be intangible when it is a tactic employed for education or social work. An idea is a tool when it is wielded.
TOOLS is a collection of works that are about, depict, or whose making directly reflects tools, equipment, machinery, or devices we use to accomplish things. For this exhibit 16 works by the following 14 artists from 6 states, Switzerland, and the Netherlands were selected by a blind jury process for presentation in the gallery and the Manifest Exhibition Annual publication.
Presenting works by:
Kristen Cliffel (Lakewood, Ohio)
Yazmin Dababneh (Imlay City, Michigan)
Daniel Dallmann (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Andrea Eckert (Detroit, Michigan)
Aspen Golann (Rollinsford, New Hampshire)
Ruoxi Hua (New York, New York)
Lauren Kalman (Detroit, Michigan)
Jeannette Knigge (Deventer, The Netherlands)
Julia LaBay (Toledo, Ohio)
Zachary Noble (Asheville, North Carolina)
Nicholas Roberts (Telford, Pennsylvania)
Jaye Schlesinger (Ann Arbor, Michigan)
Nicolas Vionnet (Zurich, Switzerland)
Nate Weiss (Johnstown, Pennsylvania)
Ticketed Preview - Annual Fund Benefit:
Thursday, Nov. 6, 7-9 p.m.
Public Opening:
Friday, Nov. 7, 6-9 p.m.
Opening times: Wednesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Further information can be found on the Manifest Gallery website.
Photography: Manifest Gallery
SILENT DIALOGUES
Snap Collective Publishing
Copenhagen (ES)
Swiss artist Nicolas Vionnet is captivated by the unexpected. His works draw inspiration from clever allusions, carefully conceived on-site and tailored to their surroundings. These subtle interventi- ons invite viewers to enter into a dialogue.
The first monographic survey of Vionnet‘s work, „Silent Dialogues - Interventions in Public Space“, spotlights his public space instal- lations while also showcasing his broad multidisciplinary oeuvre spanning the past 20 years.
With texts by (among others):
Nele Ouwens (independent curator, Berlin) and
Jordanis Theodoridis (director, widmertheodoridis gallery, Zurich - Athens).
ISBN: 978-87-7620-478-5
A4 portrait format (21 cm x 29.7 cm), 192 pages
Hard cover, thread stitching, satin pages and matt paper.
Published in Denmark, available at the Danish Royal Library in Copenhagen. Made in Germany.
Book language: English/German
Publishing house: Snap Collective
Editorial Assistant: Natalia Manole
Designer: Elena Bidnenko
The book is now available in the official Snap Collective bookshop.
