...... an ornament, an articulated project, a chance to know and interpret feelings .... a tendency to exist, an lived experience, a source of feeling and an engine of action..... (R.G.)
The works of art shown here express the guiding thoughts which underlie my research through the language of jewellery as messengers of the spirit, taking control of those specific areas of existence that demand both care and attention.
My vision stems from an urgent "ethical redefinition of design", the jewel assuming salvific powers and so becoming a sensitive bearer of messages of love and care for the natural realms of which humans themselves are an integral part.
The task of the creations presented here is to guard that which is most precious to humanity through the use of precious materials: the earth contaminated by radioactive particles as a primitive gesture in the desire to protect it.... the genesis of the myth of caring for the planet.... all of this in turn gives life to the Relic Pendant.
The "Mind" in its radiance becomes the Planetary Mind necklace.
The "Keshi pearl" does not choose perfection as much as simply be itself..... freedom of matter.... the function of the "Ogiva earrings" is to protect. Even in design, an adjustment of behaviour is required, reversing any attempt to devise repairs in the form of artifacts and concepts.
Relic Pendant
Take a fistful of soil.
Scatter it into a small crystal urn.
It so becomes a precious relic, just like a gem.
Gazing at the relic, the myth returns.
Contemplating this myth becomes my prayer.
Golden spirit and crystals are the elements that reveal this.
In the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster, 1986 (R.G.)
Planetary Mind
“All this the child would like to possess, to take it between his fingers; he knows that this wonder, worn on his finger like a ring, simply turning the bezel, would turn him into a master of magical powers. He could open up walls, discover treasures, reveal mysteries, read the very bottom of the soul, and constantly keep with him in his hands a source of light rays. (...) But now this isn’t a dream any loner, it’s true! The spirit that has become matter between our fingers, the invisible that has become substance and stone, something so real and so hard that it can resist any tool, which stands as a perfect example of resistance… it exists.”
Paul Claudel
Ogiva Earrings
What would it feel like to be a pearl? How would it feel to be a golden spiral?
Is there an ecosystem connection between them and me? Between them and others?
If we could be what we are, what we were born to be, it would be easier for our being itself to shape our existence.
This certainty reforms deep within me each time I envisage a new project.
Gold, crystals, precious stones; these are the elements that express it.
(R.G.)
Biography
Regina Gambatesa was born in Bari and lived her adolescence in the Middle East between Turkey, Lebanon and Libya, where she came into contact with the cultures of these well-known places which were so evocative of a South she was already familiar with.
Back in Italy, she began studying Architecture in Naples, but driven by her intense passion for design and jewel crafting, her dedication shifted to the "way of the precious", designing and creating fully fledged "dedicated jewels", ritual objects designed so that one could come closer to one’s inner self: a sort of ornamental icon.
She then complemented her training by participating in seminars on the experience and study of changed states of consciousness as decisive stages in the creative process. These later allowed her to set up a "Creative Workshop on Ornaments" for students interested in learning methods related to sensory input.
Her many experiences, constantly teetering between life and research, led her to believe that it must be possible to create ornaments with deep communicative values both for small and large-scale collections, even in a field which tends not to be as dynamic and innovative as that of jewellery.
As a result of this need for comparison and exchange, 1999 saw her opening her own exhibition laboratory in Bari; a space for experimentation, a meeting place for a melting pot of ideas, cultures and paths through sensitive research.
In 1998 she published her book "Codice Sentimentale" (Sentimental Code), a short journey through creativity, thought and inspiration expressed in objects, a means of attempting to demonstrate expressive fluidity through the language of uniquely unusual ornaments.
Regina Gambatesa has participated in a number of key design events and exhibitions, including "The Special World" (Groninger Museum, Groningen)," The Design of Women " (Museo di Arredo Contemporaneo, Ravenna), "Crafts of the Artist" (Palazzo Comunale, Siena), "Rituals Far From Home" (Museo Alchimia. Milan) and "The Rebus of Memory Containers" (Centro Studi Alessi, Milan). In addition, her objects and ornaments have featured in works by a variety of leading publishers (Mondadori, Electa, Ed.Byblos).
Publications
BOOKS
- Pizzarelli M., Art Women, Lecce, ADI, 2009
- Corbascio D., Leone G., Losappio M., Verde, Bari, Gelsorosso, 2008
- Bergesio M. C., Lenti L., Dizionario del gioiello italiano del XIX e XX secolo, Torino, Umberto Allemandi e C., 2005
- Radina F., Semerari L., Ornamenta, Bari, Ministero per i beni e le attività culturali, 2004
- Gambatesa R., Codice Sentimentale, Milano, Virus e Mutation, 1998
- Angiuli E., Bari/Italy, Bari, Biblos, 1994
- Burkhard F., Mantica C., Mestieri d’Autore, Siena, Electa
- Brunton F., Luppi A., Il Design delle donne, Milano, Arnoldo Mondadori Arte, 1991
- Alessi A., Rebus Sic…, Lissone, Arti Grafiche Meroni, 1991
- Fizzarotti S., Restany P., Il ritorno dell’arte, Otranto, Editrice Salentina, 1987
- Marano U., Mendini A., Restany P., Riti lontani dalla casa, Bari, Edizioni Strippoli Mobili, 1986
- Haks F., Il mondo speciale, Gronigen, Groninger Museum, 1982
ARTICLES
- Cella F., Regina Gambatesa, in “Vogue.it”, 26 novembre 2017
- Tarcila B., Preziosi e chic. Di scena i gioielli di Regina gambatesa, in “Elle.it”, 3 aprile 2013
- Greco G., Architetture orientali, in “Io Donna”, 5 maggio 2012
- Tronville C. Regina Gambatesa designer di Gioielli, in “D la Repubblica”, 3 dicembre 2011
- Annibaldia G., Delia e le altre ornate da qui all’eternità, in “La gazzetta del Mezzogiorno”, 27 marzo 2004
- Delia A., Il Mediterraneo visto dll’arte”, in “La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno”
- Macri G., in “Argento!”, marzo 2000
- La Pietra U., in “Artigianato” aprile 1999
- Daloiso A., Il design pensa alla casa, in “La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno”, 13 marzo 1987
- A Otranto l’arte mediterranea, in “Quotidiano”, 27 giugno 1987
- l ritorno dell’arte nel Castello di Otranto, in “La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno”, 30 giugno 1987
- Viaggio nell’arte mediterranea, in “Quotidiano”, 5 giugno 1987
- Arte di Otranto, in “Quotidiano”, 12 luglio 1987 R.R., Charms e Codes, in “Vogue Gioiello”
- Il ritorno dell’arte, in “Flash Art” Ralli G., Un’aria nuova fra le mura antiche, in “Casa Vogue”