MANCHESTER.- Manchester Art Gallery presents the first UK solo exhibition from celebrated contemporary jewellery designer Karl Fritsch on view through 23 June 2013. Fritsch is a German-born, New Zealand-based jewellery designer whose highly sought-after work features in public and private collections around the world. His distinctive designs attract international acclaim, winning such prestigious awards as the Herbert Hoffman Prize amongst others.

Fritsch’s hand crafted jewellery is uniquely unconventional and according to exhibition curator Jo Bloxham ‘exudes an energy and fascination unlike that of any other living jeweller today.’ His playful approach combines precious and non-precious materials from gems to rusty screws alike, forging surreal yet perfect creations which push the boundaries of design to its limits.

A hugely prolific maker, Fritsch’s work displays his innate sensitivity towards his materials. He writes, ‘The ring can’t wait; it is impatient and wants to hurry.’ Each piece is carefully soldered, cast, filled and set by Fritsch himself. Often using wax as a starting point, the finished results in precious metal are complete with his own fingerprints. At Manchester Art Gallery, many of the pieces will be available to buy with prices starting from £100 upwards.

The exhibition has been developed by independent jewellery curator Jo Bloxham, as a complement to the gallery’s major new exhibition by Raqib Shaw. Jo is delighted to showcase the work of Karl Fritsch, following the success of two previous jewellery exhibitions, The Sting of Passion and Under that Cloud, building on Manchester’s reputation of becoming one of the few UK fine art galleries to showcase jewellery.

Karl Fritsch will be visiting the exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery in March and will be giving a talk as part of our Thursday Lates programme on 14 March 2013, 6.30pm.