Katya CHICKEN

Through my body of work, Iconoclastic Reinterpretation of Jewellery, I challenge traditional jewellery making and embrace the unconventional in my practice. I am Katja Chicken, the jewellery artist behind the Kat Hardie brand.I find liberation in breaking established rules within jewellery making. My pieces are the result of a journey to forge a path for new traditions to emerge.

My artistic exploration centres around the utilisation of precious metals and diamonds; materials that traditionally symbolise luxury and conformity. I approach these traditional materials with an alternative perspective—using irony and paradox to subvert traditional techniques and create adornment that challenges.

Through my work, I aim to evoke emotions that invite critical engagement with jewellery. Each piece is a visual and conceptual statement, inviting the wearer and viewer to question preconceived notions of value, longevity and heirloom jewellery.

My journey as an artist has been a struggle to find my own aesthetic amidst societal pressures to conform to certain traditional standards of appearance, for women. However, this struggle has led me to a realisation that the two seemingly conflicting directions, embracing my femininity and staying true to my desire for expressing my style in a masculine way, can coexist. The juxtaposition of fine jewellery and alternative approaches, allows me to create pieces that challenge categorisation and spark conversations. The use of alternative materials in unconventional ways become my form of expression. As an artist, I strive to unravel a visual narrative that interrogates the complexity of societal pressures to conform. Each piece is an invitation to reconsider the relationship between the traditional and art jewellery.