Ruudt Peters

Art, philosophy and the body

• Ruudt is interested in alchemy, history and religion
• It is important to him that objects have a meaning
• He was nominated for the Loewe Craft Prize 2019

Amsterdam based Ruudt Peters crafts contemporary jewellery with traditional techniques. He calls himself a maker but, he explains, “I realise that I am an artist, because there is a lot of depth and meaning in my work; it’s not just a nice piece on the surface.” He says he is not interested in decorating the body, but rather in the way in which his thoughts about how he perceives the world and his philosophy on life are reflected in the pieces he makes. “That’s what I like about jewellery, because I don’t make art that hangs on a wall; people have to walk in the street wearing my creations, and in this sense the people themselves become a walking showcase.” Ruudt's works are sold in galleries in Amsterdam, Karlsruhe, New York and Antwerp.

Interview

©Anneleen Swillen

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Why did you decide to become a jewellery maker?

I was trained to make medical instruments but soon realised it wasn’t fulfilling. I decided to go to art school and chose jewellery making because of the size of the material. What inspired me was the scale of the work, rather than the desire to decorate people.

Did your family background affect your choice?

I come from a family of beauty; my mother and father were both hairdressers and so is my elder sister, while my brother is an interior architect. I discovered early in life that I wanted to deal with beauty too, but not on the surface; I wanted to probe the inner beauty of objects.

How important is being in Amsterdam for your work?

Amsterdam has a very lively jewellery scene. There are two galleries dealing just with jewellery. There is also an important art school with a jewellery department. For a long time the government was very supportive through funding, so this enabled many jewellery artists to grow.

Your pieces are made in a wide range of materials. Why?

When I create my jewellery, I use silver and foam, rocks and gold, glass and polyester, alabaster and ceramic... The materials I choose to use follow the concept that I have in mind; they are always functional according to what I want to express.

Ruudt Peters is a master artisan: he began his career in 1970 and he started teaching in 1976

Works

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Where