Elise GROSSKLAUS

In Hedonism, I explore the pursuit of pleasure through an intentional material excess.

Materiality lies at the core of my body of work. I use the semiotics of materials to communicate ideas, working with a range of metals including 9ct gold, fine and sterling silver, and brass. My chosen gems range from precious and non-precious, lab-grown and natural. The mixture of metals, as well as the choice to include stones in every piece, plays with perceptions of value to convey a central question: Is it ever enough?

Can our longing to consume and possess ever be satisfied, or do we inevitably surrender to gluttony in our ambitious pursuit of pleasure?

The conceptual intent is to ask for a reflection on perceptions of taste and what is personally or aesthetically considered to be ‘good’ or ‘bad’ taste, and at what point is the line between the two crossed and to contemplate whether material expense commands a higher perceptual value as well.