Statement

Glasgow-based artist Kristina Merchant’s diverse work experience, including spells as a shop assistant, customer service advisor, and bartender, have cultivated a heightened awareness of her surroundings. They, together with her art studies, have led her to a practice that explores discarded cultural ephemera. Prior to attending The Glasgow School of Art, Kristina studied contemporary art at Perth College, her hometown. Here, she explored various mediums and disciplines, and became fascinated by Land Art. Inspired by Andy Goldsworthy’s technique of scouring the landscape for materials that leave no lasting impact, she embarked on an artist residency on The Isle of Skye, Sleat, utilising discarded materials to create transient works that seamlessly reintegrate with the environment over time. In recent years, Kristina’s work has been exhibited in galleries in Glasgow, London, Amsterdam, and Munich, in a contemporary visual art and jewellery context. She has upcoming shows in Rotterdam and Fife Contemporary Art’s graduate showcase.

Kristina’s conceptual and narrative-led artworks engage the viewer in playful perceptions of material preciousness. Her graduate collection Vision of Beauty is a narrative jewellery-mise-en-scène themed scour of the street. These pieces are imbued with realism and materiality. The objects and jewellery pieces highlight a message on societal norms of littering single-use plastic and disregarded objects found along the cracks of the concrete pavement. From the most littered item on earth, the cigarette filter, to pavement pennies, these pieces aim to spark a conversation about what is considered precious material. However, they do so with a humorous intention. 

The same carving techniques can be used on bone and amber. Using a sanding machine and a pendant drill, the brooches are made to look like cigarette filters (alluding to traditional amber smoking pipes). The silver is thinly rolled, oxidised, and manipulated to resemble burnt or wrinkled paper, with ground waste amber used to fill in as tobacco. A 24ct gold coating is applied through Keum-boo on the Marlboro Gold cigarette. Repurposed objects like a guitar saddle, a vintage letter opener, and a game counter are carved into buffalo bone to replicate chewing gum. In order to replicate the fold creases on pavement pennies, a one-of-a-kind bottle cap press form tool was created. Through enamelling, the badges have unique forms that reflect the idea of distress. A play on brand logos is designed in Illustrator, then applied with a laser decal and finished with oxidation.

Through The Goldsmiths’ Centre, Shine Programme, she has expanded her practice concept.