Warwick Freeman: Hook Hand Heart Star

Warwick Freeman, influential jewellery artist, merges New Zealand’s history, unique materials, and Maori, Polynesian, and European symbols, creating culturally resonant designs that bridge traditions. Text in English and German.

Warwick Freeman (b. 1953) is regarded as one of the world’s most influential contemporary jewellery artists. His works tell of his life, culture, and history, as well as the history of Aotearoa New Zealand and the country’s unique materials from millimetre thick mother-of-pearl from the pearl shell to the iridescent inner membrane of the paua (a rainbow abalone).

In the 1980s Freeman co-revolutionized the world of New Zealand jewelry, which led to the creation of a unique artistic language. Initially influenced by western jewelry traditions, and later impacted by a growing awareness of Maori and Pacific adornment practices, Freeman has built a language of emblematic forms across five decades. Through jewelry making he discovers symbols that connect us – from Hook to Hand to Heart to Star.