de Velde
Nedda El-Asmar
Almost one year after Nedda El-Asmar (°1968) had finished her studies with Jean Lemmens at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in 1991, we got to know her during the Harvest Selections at VIZO.
With support from the British Council, VIZO and The Royal College in London, that year she won the unique opportunity to follow two years of postgraduate silver-smithing. Her talent became yet further refined.
Her works are piece for piece contemporary interpretations of both current matters and traditions from the past.
The yellow teapot (1990) and a percolator (1991) are her first works. In Love spoons, two spoons forma rosebud, and she participates in the social debate with her silver, partially gilded and elegant condom-holder (1992).
In 1993, Nedda El-Asmar forged the silverwork for her orange picnic basket; the basket, the glasses and china cups she had made to her own design. In the same year, she made the Winged Wine Jug for the exhibition A sparkling Party, on the occasion of Antwerp 93. Cultural Capital of Europe - a wine jug that sparkled with her powerful sobriety and monumentalism.
Since then she has taken the road to design and personal execution of silver utensils with constancy and full conviction. She hoped to make contact with a silver-producing company and with the help of The Royal College of Art, she gained the opportunity to do a work-placement with Hermès. When this firm took over the Paris silver company Puiforcat, it heralded the start of a design career in industry for Nedda. Various of her designs were put into production by Puiforcat in silver-plate: the Don Quichotte coffee and tea services (1994), the Pirogue collection (1996) (Champagne bucket, biscuit tin and scales), the Reflets series (1996) (water jug, vegetable dish, vases, mug, serviette ring) and a cutlery service (1997) (in steel).
For Hermès, she made a metal drinking mug, egg cup and porridge bowl (Grelot 1994) and she is currently working on a series of vases Faba.
It takes a long time for such firms to get a product onto the market, hence she has no great surplus of pieces to exhibit. She sometimes thinks of starting her own collection.
1997 is an important year for Nedda. After David Huycke, she too is getting the chance to design a set for the Silver Centre in Deurne and to produce it in the museum studio itself. And what's more, VIZO has decided to award her, in fullest confidence, the Henry van de Velde Prize for Young Talent.
