Lunch Talk - Manuel Vilhena

Casting emotions into pieces of work

After posing the question „What is contemporary jewellery?“ and showing some exemplary pieces made from knotted hair and textiles, Manuel Vilhena begins telling his personal history with the matter. At a time when he was absolutely unsure about what to do in his life, just having broken off an education, he met a jeweler in a market that convinced him it was the ideal profession. So he became a craftsman, and was amazed at how „ freely people share their knowledge and experience, once you’re in the circle.“ From constructing pieces out of wire, he went on to study gold smith techniques and steadily increased his means of expressions. But to become an artist, he had to leave the confines of his native Portugal and go to study under Peter Skubic in cologne, who at that time was already well known as a master in the field. He tells the story how Peter opened his one day eyes by saying: „No. Don’t introduce yourself as a jeweler. You’re an artist.“ This led to a whole new understanding of his works, and the things he can do with his skills and techniques. Later on, he mentions his secret society called NASA (National Art Science Academy), where he collaborates with other artists to promote a unified theory for the Arts, of which the formula ‘E=mc3’ is but an example. In the end, he says „Sometimes I feel a bit lost because I always go from place to place to place, but the places are great and so are the people. I get to create something out of my body, which is very magical, and I can tell stories with my pieces.“ So he won’t be giving this up to settle down somewhere, at least not any time soon.