The one conceptual artist who started it all, the one we always come back to, paladin of modern art jewelry, Akademie der Bildenden Kunste Munchen teacher, mentor.
Who’s afraid of Otto Kunzli? We were (a bit). Not anymore (we think).
What’s better, being loved or being understood?
As a human being, being loved; as a teacher, being understood; as artist, neither loved nor understood.
Tell us one secret thought you constantly have when you’re teaching.
Don’t teach! Instead discuss, share and support at eye level.
What’s the only advice you’d give a 20-year-old jewelry designer who’s just starting out?
Don’t follow me, follow yourself.
What’s the biggest lie in contemporary jewelry right now?
I only know the truth:
I hate jewelry theorists, but I like jewelry terrorists. Maybe.
Can a robot make art?
Ask a robot.
You’re stuck in a room with three designers you hate. How long before you tell them?
In my entire life this fiction will never become true.
But if I would hate three designers – I would rather kill them instead of talking to them.
Where do retired contemporary jewelry teachers go?
No clue about others. I will find more time to spend in my studio making my stuff.
Are prosthetic arms beautiful?
They are first of all very use- and helpful. As an unaffected person I have absolutely no reason to play with fancy, decadent and foolish ideas. Prosthetics should be made carefully and suitable for the individual need, taste and desire of its users. Hundred thousands of disabled (landmine-) victims have no choice. What is best for them is what counts.
Everyone on Earth is born blind. Does seeing become a handicap?
I disagree with this question. Closed eyelids are not equal with being blind. And who doesn’t appreciate his eyesight is handicapped, to be more accurate, mentally deranged.
Are interviews performances?
Interviews are interviews are interviews.
PHOTO: Miriam Künzli 2014
INTERVIEW by: Oana Tudoran, Liana Vasilescu & Dan Pierșinaru
AUTOR Magazine debuted with Issue No. 0 in 2013 as a print publication dedicated to contemporary jewelry and the ways in which we choose to adorn our bodies. Jewelry moves beyond the clearly defined spaces of galleries and fairs and becomes part of our everyday lives. AUTOR Magazine reflects this same mobility.
Published by AUTOR Platform SRL
Publisher: Dan Pierșinaru