Kadri Mälk’s exhibition “Bulldog” primarily comprises pieces created over the last five years. At its core is a work dedicated to her instructor, Leili Kuldkepp. The bulldog metaphor, which the artist describes as a balanced and intelligent being, ties the pieces together fluidly. While seemingly domesticated, the animal still possesses a degree of innate fierceness and that, which is invisible to the naked eye – qualities that Mälk’s jewellery also emits in bursts. The pieces selected for the exhibition guide the viewer to forge connections between the author’s concepts and her own inner landscapes.

Kadri Mälk (1958) is an internationally renowned Estonian jewellery artist, though she holds a degree in metaphysics. As the long-serving head of the jewellery department at the Estonian Academy of Arts, she has significantly transformed and expanded the field’s importance in the country, guiding and shaping the style and scope of an entire generation of Estonian jewellery designers. The aesthetics of Mälk’s pieces are dark and poetic, and the topics she undertakes simultaneously mystical, romantic, and keen-witted.

Mälk graduated in jewellery arts from the Estonian State Art Institute in 1986, returning a few years later to work as an instructor and subsequently as a professor beginning in 1996. She has received additional training in institutions scattered across Europe and Asia, exploring the use and polishing of stone.

Since the 1990s, Mälk has maintained a steady and wide-ranging presence at exhibitions. Her inclusion on the international jewellery scene has been frequent and substantial, extending from Finland to New York and from the Netherlands to Shanghai. Mälk has received countless awards and her pieces can be found in museums and private collections around the globe.

In addition to teaching and practicing her art, Mälk is an avid jewellery collector and a honed writer, compiling and publishing several books to date.

Exhibition design: Taso Mähar
Graphic design: Jaanus Samma
Supported by Cultural Endowment of Estonia

Gallery

Photos: Hedi Jaansoo