Episode 104
What you’ll learn in this episode:
- Why Emiko started using Lego in her jewelry
- Tips for working with a trademarked medium
- Why Emiko’s latest work combines jewelry, mindfulness and restorative yoga
- Why jewelry creates connections and understanding between people
About Emiko Oye
San Francisco artist Emiko Oye creates bold and colorful jewelry with repurposed LEGO® – from ready-to-wear, to one-of-a-kind conceptual work inspired by haute couture, art history, David Bowie, and Nonviolent Communication and community. She began her jewelry business, emiko-o, in 1997, dealing in retail, wholesale and private commissions. Collaborations with LEGO® System in Denmark have led to their endorsement of her as an “Influencer” for young female makers.
Utilizing LEGO®, recycled and semi-precious materials, her jewelry universally tugs on the nostalgic heartstrings, and artfully interweaves memories into conversation-sparking adornment. In working with recycled media, Emiko discovered similarities in both LEGO® and jewelry: hands-on-story-telling capabilities, increased value with vintage, dedicated collectors, generational status as family heirloom.
A BFA University Scholar from Syracuse University, her work has been shown in over 100 exhibitions throughout the United States and internationally; including solo shows at the San Francisco Museum of Craft and Design and Ombré Gallery, and in the permanent collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Lois Boardman Collection and Racine Art Museum. She is often invited to speak on the business of craft and her own work for arts institutions and organizations, such as the Dowse Museum of Art (New Zealand), Bard Graduate Center (NY), Society of North American Goldsmiths, New York City Jewelry Week, Miami Art Museum and Miami University (OH), The Exploratorium (CA), California College of the Arts, and Oakland Museum of California.
Episode Transcript
Additional Resources:
Photos:
Eye 2: To Matter
From the 2 Be Seen series
Convertible neckpiece/brooch, 2019
Repurposed, recycled and chromed LEGO®, Argentium silver, recycled steel back, steel pin, coated steel cable neck cord
Photo credit: artist
Eye 6: Empathy
From the 2 Be Seen series
Convertible neckpiece/brooch, 2019
Repurposed, recycled and chromed LEGO®, Argentium silver, recycled steel back, steel pin, coated steel cable neck cord
Photo credit: artist
Cartier Blanc
From My First Royal Jewels
neckpiece, 2008, 2018
Recycled and repurposed LEGO®, rubber cord, sterling silver
Photo credit: artist
La Reine de Pèlerin
From Les Voyageurs de Temps (The Time Travelers)
Convertible neckpiece, 2013
Repurposed & recycled LEGO®, Argentium silver, coated copper wire, coated steel cable
Photo credit: Marc Olivier LeBlanc
Portrait
From the Musée series
neckpiece, 2012
Repurposed LEGO® and recycled laminate, steel wire, sterling silver
Photo credit: artist
Maharajah’s 6th
neckpiece, 2008
Recycled and repurposed LEGO®, rubber cord, sterling silver
Collection of Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Photo credit: artist
