L'ironie du bijoux d'artiste

Watercolour and gold foil2024-2026These watercolours are framed in massif red copper and form a series of 24 pieces.

Diptych I was part of the exhibition Artists Who Wear Jewelry, 2025, held at Mendes Wood gallery exhibition, Retranchement - NL.

In the series "Irony of the Artist’s Jewel" diptychs, Hadassa Ngamba celebrates gold and copper, two strategic metals abundantly found in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Through these joyful works, she transcends the tragic history of mineral extraction and trade, which,despite promises of prosperity, resulted in immense debt and poverty. Her first name, Hadassa, meaning "star" in Hebrew, serves as the central theme of this diptych: one panel depicts a golden star in its nascent stage, while the other shows it in decomposition. This diptych acts as a poetic talisman, a "jewel memory, " and a contemplation on the intertwined processes of creation and decline. Hadassa is the fourth generation in a lineage where art and craftsmanship are deeply connected. She is the granddaughter of an architect-engineer who incorporated the Star of David into his family constructions as an homage to their Jewish heritage, and the great-granddaughter of an artist-cabinetmaker, sculptor, and draftsman.

Text by Ralph Dum