Face as site and iconic archetype…

Alta Forma is delighted to present the third project in our series of duo exhibitions for 2025. ‘Kanohi Gesicht’ celebrates the artwork and practice of two mid-career international artists, Julia Walter (Netherlands) and Keri-Mei Zagrobelna (Aotearoa). Both artists have significant, internationally recognised jewellery practices, which extend into social and spatial contexts. Julia and Keri-Mei are also vectors for practice, as organisers and educators in their respective communities providing important opportunities for broader audiences to experience contemporary jewellery and its various conditions and contexts. ‘Kanohi Gesicht’ presents new and existing works by the artists that explore the face as site and as iconic archetype.

Artist talk by Keri-Mei Zagrobelna Saturday 7th of June at 3pm. Followed by opening celebration 3.30-5.30pm. All welcome. 

For both artists jewellery is a material language infused with cultural practice. For Julia jewellery is charged with the energy of its maker: the energy of a moment, of ceremony, of its materiality. This energy is transmitted onto the wearer. She collects shapes from her dream diary and from daily encounters with humans, objects, emojis, and nature. Julia is interested in universally intelligible symbols and archetypes that hold inherent power. Keri-Mei’s work is deeply rooted in a contemporary Māori worldview. Her work for this project is part of her ongoing exploration of the body — its form, function, and sacred role as vessel and storyteller. At its heart, her new series reflects a dialogue between identity, ceremony, and contemporary Māori expression.

About the artists:

Julia Walter was born in Stuttgart, Germany now based in the Netherlands she is a jeweller with European and Polynesian family roots. Julia studied Jewelry and Design of Everyday Objects in Portugal and Germany and graduated from the University of Applied Arts in Pforzheim, Germany in 2007. Her studio in Amsterdam is also a project room, where visual art, jewellery, fashion and craft are presented to the public through events, workshops, and exhibitions. She often collaborates on projects with artists from different backgrounds and organizes social happenings with a focus on crossing disciplines between applied and fine art. Julia has been a guest teacher at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, at Ar.Co in Lisbon and the University of Applied Arts in Pforzheim. From October 2023 - September 2024 she was interim professor for Plastic Arts/Jewellery at Burg Giebichenstein, University of Art and Design in Halle (Saale).

Keri-Mei Zagrobelna is a full-time jeweller and multidisciplinary artist based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. Alongside her creative practice, she works as a jewellery tutor and arts mentor, supporting the next generation of makers.  Her work is deeply rooted in a contemporary Māori worldview, with iwi affiliations to Te Āti Awa and Whānau-ā-Apanui. Drawing on a rich upbringing immersed in museums and the arts, Keri-Mei creates expressive, story-driven pieces that bridge adornment and visual art. While jewellery remains her primary passion, her practice also spans murals, sculpture, carving, photography, and installation. Keri-Mei is a graduate of Whitireia with a BaPPa in Visual Arts (2012), she has exhibited and lectured widely in Aotearoa and internationally. Keri-Mei is a proud bearer of the Toi Iho™ mark, which signifies genuine Māori-made art of high quality. Through her mahi, she strives to honour her heritage, connect with community, and uplift future indigenous creatives.

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