The International Goldsmithing Art Competition is a leading event of the Legnica SILVER Festival 2025. The competition has been organised by the Gallery of Art in Legnica since 1979 (initially as the National Review of Goldsmithing Forms). It is one of the oldest initiatives promoting contemporary artistic jewellery in Europe, supporting creative exploration within a niche field at the intersection of art, craft and design.
The organisers invite creators from all over the world, goldsmiths, designers, professional artists and amateurs to take part in the competition. The competition is artistic in nature, and the organisers leave artists complete freedom in the choice of techniques and materials. The use of silver in the submitted work – although a suggestion by the organisers – is not required. The primary criterion for evaluating the works is their reference to the leading theme.
Is art supposed to be a WOW effect? Is jewellery supposed to be that? Following the posthumanist turn, the emptiness and illusion of discourses amidst a crisis of humanity, we no longer expect from it merely pessimistic maledictions and dystopian prophecies, but also hope, the showing of a light at the end of the tunnel, an antidote to wipe away apocalyptic tears. A magic wand that will make the world seem a more beautiful place than it is. We expect a WOW effect!
Dr Justyna Teodorczyk
The submitted works will be judged by a jury composed of artists, authorities and experts in the field of art jewellery: Eva Fernandez Martos (Spain), Sławomir Fijałkowski (Poland), Paweł Kaczyński (Poland), Märta Mattsson (Sweden) and Barbara Schmidt (Germany). The jury will select several dozen objects to form the post-competition exhibition and will award prizes. The post-competition exhibition of qualified works will be presented as part of the Legnica SILVER Festival at the Gallery of Art in Legnica from April to July 2025. The verdict will be announced during the Festival Opening Weekend on 9–10 May 2025. Works not qualified by the jurors will traditionally be presented in an exhibition entitled Towing Path in the Hall of the Old Town Hall in Legnica, allowing viewers to compare their own opinions with the jurors' verdict (artists may opt out of participating in the exhibition of non-qualified works).
Why have a theme at all? Of course, we would like the efforts of artists, designers and jewellery makers – especially those related to preparing a new competition piece – to focus on socially and culturally important issues. This is about the quality of the exhibition itself, but also about creating a pretext for discussions in which not only politicians, activists and opinion leaders should have a voice. The theme is important. It introduces categorising criteria, facilitates comparisons and provokes reflection. We decided on this many years ago and have consistently stuck to this rule, whilst observing that the answers are becoming increasingly superficial, cautiously uncontroversial, politically and aesthetically correct. But... perhaps it is precisely in the realm of recently neglected aesthetics that innovative solutions – that "WOW" factor – surprising, inspiring, unprecedented – are hardest to achieve today? Surely that is still possible! Even in jewellery / especially in jewellery.
Prof. Sławomir Fijałkowski
33th Edition of the International Goldsmithing Art Competition WOW Effect!
Deadline for submission of entries: 20 January 2025.
More information: Art Gallery in Legnica