Time for “Paradox”: The New Edition of the PREZENTACJE Competition Opens

“PARADOX”: the Association of Goldsmithing Form Creators has announced the theme of the 23rd International Goldsmithing Art Competition PREZENTACJE 2027, one of the most important events devoted to contemporary art jewelry in Europe.

This year's theme encourages artists to look for paradoxes hidden in the material, form, function and meaning of jewelry. The organizers invite creators to take on questions of value, durability, beauty and the contradictions present in both art and everyday life.

Contradiction as inspiration

The organizers encourage interpreting paradox in many ways. The heavy may look light. The fragile may prove durable. What is commonly considered worthless may take on exceptional meaning. Paradox can be found not only in the material and construction of an object, but also in social relations, culture, everyday experiences or contemporary challenges. Jewelry seems an ideal medium for such exploration. It can adorn and unsettle at once, protect and restrict, be deeply personal and at the same time communicate important ideas to a wider public.

Sita Falkena set the bar high

The new edition of the competition begins a few months after the end of PREZENTACJE 2026, held under the theme “CISZA / SILENCE”. The Grand Prix went to the Dutch artist Sita Falkena. Her work “Silent Mind” was unanimously judged by the jury to be the fullest and most mature interpretation of the theme of silence. The awarded object used sparing means of expression: simple linear forms suspended on red and white cords and handwritten maxims. The jury stressed that the author treated silence not as an absence of sound, but as a conscious choice, an act of attentiveness, empathy and responsibility toward another person. Jewelry became a personal manifesto and a carrier of values. Sita Falkena is among the most interesting contemporary art jewelry makers in the Netherlands. She studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Arnhem and the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. Her work has been shown in many international exhibitions and is held in museum and private collections.

A competition without borders

Last year's edition showed the scale of interest in the competition. PREZENTACJE 2026 drew 137 artists from 19 countries, and the jury qualified 44 works for the exhibition. The winners were chosen by Agata Danielak-Kujda, Renata Adamowicz, Paweł Kaczyński, Agata Nartowska and Monika Szpatowicz. It was this panel that selected the works later shown at the final exhibition.

Finale in Gdańsk

The deadline for submitting works is January 31, 2027. The results will be announced and the awards presented during AMBERIF Spring, the world's largest amber fair, in March 2027 at the Amber Museum in Gdańsk. The PREZENTACJE 2027 – PARADOX exhibition will then travel to further venues in Poland and abroad. This year's entries will be judged by an international jury that will include Ruudt Peters, Justyna Teodorczyk, Jacek Byczewski and Renata Adamowicz.

Why take part?

For years, the PREZENTACJE competition has shown that contemporary jewelry is a fully fledged language of art. It need not be made of gold or serve only as decoration. It can comment on reality, tell stories and raise questions. And it is precisely where paradox appears that the most interesting answers are often born. The PREZENTACJE series has been organized by the Association of Goldsmithing Form Creators for more than two decades and is among the most important events devoted to contemporary goldsmithing in Europe. In previous years, artists took on themes such as “BROKEN / PRZEŁAMANE” and “CISZA / SILENCE”.

More information about the competition: https://paradox.stfz.pl/