During the semester break between my third and fourth year, I worked to save money for my final project. Most of my thoughts centered around the project’s theme: fashion, shoes, jewelry, or perhaps a combination? I dreamt about materials, work methods, shapes, and mechanisms.
In mid-July, I received an unexpected email titled “Invitation to apply with Talente” Lecturers from the jewelry department had recommended my third-year work. To my surprise, the brooch series I created under the guidance of Shachar Cohen had gained recognition beyond the classroom.
Talente – Masters of the Future is an annual competition and exhibition held each March as part of an international trade fair in Munich during Jewelry Week. It features around 90 young designers under 35 from over 25 countries and 12 craft disciplines.
How does one apply for an international exhibition? I learned along the way: how to photograph my brooches properly, write an artist’s statement that blends local Israeli context with universal appeal, and organize technical details. I even had to think about pricing for the first time—how to calculate the value of an idea, development time, work, and materials—all while being mindful of my early professional stage and the exhibition context, a mass display outside a gallery.
On November 10th, I received another email, this time in German, followed by English: “The Talente decisive sitting has been finished. Over 500 applications reached us this year from over 40 countries. We are very pleased to inform you that your work was selected…” I stopped reading, momentarily lost in the realization.
Everything had slipped my mind. My workplace had closed, the semester hadn’t started, and my partner was on reserve duty. The final project seemed far away. Exhaustion and anxiety had taken over, leaving me uncertain if I could keep creating or processing reality. I hadn’t expected a positive response from Talente; it felt like casting bread upon the waters. The surprise was heightened by the circumstances, though it would have been significant even in a different time or place.
Soon after, my friend Avigail Capon, also guided by Shachar Cohen, informed me that she, too, had been accepted into Talente. The double joy brought new questions: Is it worth participating in an exhibition at such a difficult time? Could art hold any meaning when everything felt so fragile? Anticipating such a significant event felt like an anchor, but I also worried about disappointment—especially with the possibility of my participation being canceled due to my country’s position in the war.
We returned to our studies and, after discussing with the department lecturers, decided to send our works. We coordinated a joint shipment with other Israeli participants, carefully packing the pieces into sponge-lined compartments. A small spark of excitement returned.
In March, we flew to Munich to spend five days visiting both Talente and Schmuck exhibitions. On the first day, I wandered through galleries and workshops, meeting creators, artists, and curators. I felt like a diver at The Blue Hole, exploring a new world of jewelry, with innovative designs, unique materials, and mechanisms that filled me with wonder.
The exhibition “Drops of the Juice” by Danni Chen at The Tiger Room gallery stood out. One small exhibit featured a tablet screen used as a shelf, displaying three silver “cages” for the tongue. Beneath them, a black-and-white looped video showed tongues being pushed through the cage bars.
That evening, Avigail and I attended the opening of the central exhibition at the Pinakothek der Moderne, “Wearables” by Sigurd Bronger. His witty, precise references captivated us. The event, my first encounter with the international contemporary jewelry community, felt both inspiring and heartwarming. Avigail, who had exhibited in Munich in 2023 as part of the “Alloy” exhibition curated by Vered Kaminski and Einat Leader, was recognized by attendees who eagerly engaged with us about our work, the war, and other exhibitions. I was touched by the openness of the community, particularly the attention given to younger artists.
On Saturday, March 3rd, we visited Talente for its final day and the awards ceremony. We immediately went to see our work on display. Avigail’s series of five vessels, woven from iron wires using a basket-weaving technique, had been coated with transparent and white enamel that allowed the iron to rust, adding color. Her work explored the theme of individuality after a breakup, reflecting on the body as a vessel. Her pieces were arranged in a shared display case alongside a glass artist’s work, maintaining the internal relationships between the vessels.
My series consisted of three crocheted thread brooches, with bases made from stainless steel knitting needles. The brooches explored themes of identity, territory, sexuality, and feminine craftsmanship through references to the ritual of knitting yarmulkes in religious-nationalist sector in Israel. The phallic-conical shapes interacted with gravity, and the volumes represented body forms such as lungs, kidneys, limbs etc. The curators hung the brooches on a wide white wall at eye level, with the longest brooch extending into the display space, casting an amorphous shadow that added another layer to the presentation.
After viewing our work, we met several jewelers and craft artists we had seen the night before. They offered to lead a tour and discuss our works. The conversation was engaging and provided fresh perspectives, but the experience left us both emotionally drained. The intensity of the encounter created a mix of fulfillment and confusion, which took a few days to settle.
On our last day, we visited more galleries and attended a talk at Bettina Dittlmann’s solo exhibition, “Nicht Nichts,” where she presented a diary-like progression of a vessel.
After the exhibition, we headed straight to the airport and returned to Israel. Upon landing, I rushed to Jerusalem and immediately sat down in the jewelry classroom at Bezalel, ready to work on my final project—to create.
Sigurd Bronger. Wearables, Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich 2024, Ready-made and various metals. Photo by: Naama Ben Porat.
Naama Ben Porat is a graduate of Bezalel’s jewelry and fashion department in 2024, creates in metals, enamel, clay, glass and textiles. Her work explores social, cultural, environmental, and political themes. Ben Porat serves as a teaching assistant in jewelry courses in Bezalel and is a co-owner of Tellaim – a boutique brand of conceptual ceramic jewelry.
