17 Sept 2010: Galeria Reverso Lisbon P. 'IGOJA'
1 Oct - 31 Oct 2010 Velvet da Vinci San Francisco U.S.A. 'The Plastic Show'
8 Oct - 14 Nov 2010: Galerie Orfèo Luxemburgh L

I strive for it, the emotional impulse, which gave me the energy to work out my idea, being perceptible in the results.
Then there will be communication possible on another level.
It can bring out something to the wearer or the contemplator.
For this reason, jewellery, so close to our body, is a valuable exchange of thoughts and feelings.

Concerning material matters………………

Today’s jewellery, future antique!

Birgit Laken, Leiden, The Netherlands

Education:
1967-1972 Koninklijke Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten, The Hague, The Netherlands
1972-1976 Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Since 1976 Own studio in Haarlem, The Netherlands

Museum Collections:
Museum of fine Arts Boston, MA, U.S.A. | Museum voor Moderne Kunst, Arnhem, The Netherlands | Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem, The Netherlands | Museum für Kunsthandwerk, Frankfurt, Germany | Centraal Museum, Utrecht, The Netherlands | Cleveland Countymuseum, Middlesborough, U.K. | Kunstindustriemuseum, Oslo, Norway | Kunstindustriemuseum, Trondheim, Norway | Schmuckmuseum, Pforzheim, Germany | Museum CODA, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands | Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands | Gemeente Museum, The Hague, The Netherlands | Musée de l’Horlogerie et d’Emaillerie, Genève, Switzerland | Kunstgewerbemuseum, Berlijn, Germany | Cooper Hewitt Museum, New York, USA | Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Montreal, Canada | Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Texas, U.S.A.

Grants Fonds bkvb
1986 Project grant for exploring the Mokume gane technique.
1988 Working grant for finishing the Mokume gane project.
1990 Presentation grant for the book ‘Birgit Laken, metal in motion’, works in Mokume gane.
1992 Grant for profession costs
1995 Basic grant.
1999 Working grant for the ‘Heartwear’ project.
2000 Working grant for the ‘Heartwork’project.
2002 Basic grant.
2006 Basic grant.

Exhibitions (selection):
2010 Galerie Hnoss Göteborg SE, 'Heartwork'
2009 Galeria Reverso Lisbon P. ‘Twitter Tea Party’ | Galerie Slavik Vienna A. ‘Winterreise’ | Huisrechts Amsterdam NL. ‘Op Voorraad’ | Tacoma Art Museum WA USA. Ornament as Art. (catalogue) | Contemporary Applied Art London UK. ‘Inner Voice’, curated by Dorothy Hogg | Solidor Art Space Haut-de-Cagnes Cagnes-sur-Mer F. Allures et Parures, nouveau | Regard sur la Hollande. (catalogue) | München D. during ‘Schmuck 2009’, ‘Auf Vorrat’, Adlzreiterstrasse, concept Ineke Heerkens, Jantje Fleisschut and Jeanette Jansen.
2008 Velvet da Vinci, San Francisco, U.S.A. Pendants and Lockets (500 Lark book) | Galerie Pilartz, cologne, Germany 'Summerland' solo / Renwick gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum U.S.A., ’Ornament as Art, Avant garde jewellery from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection.(catalogue) / Galeria Reverso Lisbon, Portugal. ‘Signs from nature’, duo exhibition with Suzanne Esser / Teylers Museum Haarlem, NL. ‘Natuurlijk gedragen’, Haarlems Sieraad Collectief.
2007 Stedelijk Museum Roermond NL. Sieradenparade and Radiant (catalogue) | Cécile van Eeden en design Daily’s Eindhoven NL. Beyond Material (catalogue) | Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim D. Mokume gane | The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh Scotland UK. Jewellery | State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia. Gold and silver jewellery: Changing traditions in the twentieth century (brochure) | Galeria Reverso Lissabon P. Beyond Material (catalogue) | Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim D. Art is flowering. (catalogue) | Museum of Fine Arts Houston, U.S.A. Ornament as Art: Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt collection | Velvet da Vinci San Francisco, U.S.A. The Earring show (500 earrings book) | Galerie Pilartz Cologne Germany | Archeological museum Haarlem, NL. The HSC (Haarlems Sieraad Collectief) with ‘Jewels under the ground’ | Ateliers 195-197 Heemstede, NL. ‘The clear line’.
2006 V&A, London, ‘Collect’ with Galerie Ra | Museum De Fundatie, Zwolle, ‘Uitgepak’. The Bijkerk Collection (catalogue) | Kunstrai Amsterdam, Galerie Ra | Galerie So, Solothurn/Switserland, ‘Summer 06’ | Be-a-Queen Amsterdam, NL.‘De Schatkamer’ |  Galerie Ra, ‘Radiant’ 30 years jubilee, (catalogue) | Galerie Lous Martin, ‘Beyond Material’, 10 years jubilee (catalogue) | Het oude raadhuis, Hoofddorp, The Netherlands 
2005 Chateau-Musée Grimaldi Cagnes-sur-Mer. L’or bijoux d’Europe (catalogue) | Galerie Phoebus, Rotterdam NL. Necklaces curated by Threes Moolhuijsen | Handwerksmesse München Germany. Schmuck 2005.(catalogue) | Atelier Gerhard, ‘Freundschaft und Schmuck’, Cologna Germany | Maison des Métiers d’Arts de Pézenas, France.’ L’or adoré’ (catalogue) | Galerie Petra Spuijbroek Haarlem NL. Petra Spuijbroek onthult
2004 Vishal, Haarlem,The Netherlands ‘Zonder titel’(catalogue) | Expozee, Noordwijk. The Netherlands ‘Sieraden aan zee’(catalogue) | De beurs van Berlage Amsterdam. De Rietveld naar de beurs | Musée Cité de l’or, Saint Amand-Montrond, France, ‘L’or d’Europe, bijoux | Contemporain’ Triënnale du bijou (catalogue) | Galerie Ra,”Deeply impressed”. Amsterdam. NL | Galerie Ramakers, Den Haag, The Netherlands. ‘When summer almost has gone’ | Mobilia Gallery Cambridge. U.S.A. Connections | Sofa Art fair, Chicago. U.S.A. Mobilia Gallery
2003 Powerhouse Museum Sydney. Australia. Mikromegas (catalogue) | John Curtin Gallery Perth. Australia. Mikromegas (catalogue) | Galerie Artwindow, Heemstede, The Netherlands | Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum Acropolis, Athens, Greece, Maskerade (catalogue) | Stedelijk Museum Roermond, NL. De keuze vaRoermond (catalogue)
2002 Handswerkmesse München. Schmuck 2002 (catalogue) | Hiko Mizuno College of Jewellery Tokio. Mikromegas (catalogue) | Gallery one, the Dick Institute, Kilmarnoc, Scotland UK (catalogue) | Centraal Museum Utrecht The Netherlands. ‘Zonder wrijving geen glans’ | Musée de l’horlogerie et de l’émaillerie Genéve, Switzerland. Mikromegas (catalogue) | Ruthin Craftcentre Wales U.K. Maskerade (catalogue) | Cleveland craft centre Middlesborough, U.K. Maskerade (catalogue)
2001 Handswerkmesse München Germany. Schmuck 2001 (catalogue) | Galerie für Angewandte Kunst München Germany. Mikromegas (catalogue) | American Craftsmuseum New York. Mikromegas (catalogue) | Galerie Ra Amsterdam. 25 years jubilee, Maskerade (catalogue) | De Paviljoens Almere, The Netherlands. Sieraden, de keuze van Almere (catalogue) | Gewerbemuseum Wintherthur, Switzerland. Schmuck hier, Schmuck anderswo, Verwandschaft oder Zufall? (catalogue)
2000 Objects of Desire Gallery, Louisville. U.S.A. | Handswerkmesse München Germany. Schmuck 2000 (catalogue) | Arts Fair Chicago, Arts Fair New York, Charon Kransen Arts | Musée D.A.C. Lausanne, Switzerland. Parures d’ailleur, Parures d’ici: Incidences, Coïncidences? (catalogue) | Museum voor Moderne Kunst Arnhem The Netherlands. Op de huid (catalogue)

Work experience:
1979-1980 Teacher, Academy of Art Amersfoort, The Netherlands
1984-1986 Teacher, Academy of Art Kampen, The Netherlands
1997 Guest lecturer, Fachhochschule für Gestaltung, Düsseldorf, Germany | Guest lecturer, Academie of Art, Maastricht, The Netherlands
2005 Guest lecturer, Edinburgh College of Art, Scotland UK
2007 Guest lecturer at the Edinburgh College of Art.
2010 Lecture at HDK, Högskolan för Design och Konsthantverk, Gothenburg Sweden

Workshops and lectures at several Art institutes:
Australia: Perth, Sydney, Launceston Tasmania, Melbourne and Darwin
Europe: Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Denmark, Scotland.
U.S.A.: Washington, Providence and Darmouth Massachusetts.

Juror and examiner:
At several Art institutes in the Netherlands

Curator:
2009 Allures et Parures, nouveau regard sur la Hollande, Solidor Art Space, Haut-de-Cagnes, Cagnes-sur-Mer, France. (Catalogue) 

Other activities

Coaching:
At Colleges of Art or Private schools for jewellery design, in one to one discussions with the students about the development of their work.
For students at Colleges of Art or Private Schools, who want temporary coaching from outside the school in the field of jewellery design and development.
For helping professional jewellery designers who need temporary coaching, to develop their work.

For further information and the costs, you can email me.

www.birgitlaken.nl 
info@birgitlaken.nl

• From 1977 onwards reviews and articles in newspapers and magazines.
• In 1990 own catalogue edition: Birgit Laken, metal in motion. Works in Mokumé Gane.
• Under Construction: Book about my “Heartwork” project
• Lark books, ‘500 Brooches’ 2005.
• Lark Books, ‘500 Necklaces’ 2006.
• Lark Books, ‘500 Earrings’ 2007.
• Laurence King, ‘Adorn, new jewellery’, Amanda Mansell,  2008.
• Lark Books, ‘500 Pendants and Lockets,’ 2008.
• Lark Books, ‘the Art of Jewellery: Plastic & Resin’, 2008.
• Darling Publications, 'The Compendium Finale of Contemporary Jewellers', 2008.
• Lark Books, ‘500 Plastic Jewelry Designs', 2009.

Galerie Ra, Amsterdam NL.
www.galerie-ra.nl

Galerie Marzee, Nijmegen NL.
www.marzee.nl

Galerie Lous Martin, Delft NL.
www.galerielousmartin.nl 

Galerie Orfèo, Luxembourg L
www.galerie-orfeo.com

Galeria Reverso, Lisbon P.
www.reversodasbernardas.com

Galerie Pilartz ,Cologne D.
www.pilartz.com

Galerie Cecile van Eeden, Eindhoven NL
www.cecilevaneeden.nl

Galerie Noosphere, Basel CH
www.noosphere.ch 

Galerie Slavik, Vienna A.
www.galerie-slavik.com