The embellished Genitals – Fretwork by Wolf von Waldow

Interview with Tim Schleider in Magnus 7/93 on the occasion of the exhibition Wolf von Waldow – Figuursaagwerk. Galerie ra, Amsterdam, 1993

T.S.: You describe these works as jewelry. Right now, an exhibition of your pieces is being shown in a jewelry gallery in Amsterdam. And yet, many viewers will probably spontaneously ask themselves: when and how is one actually supposed to wear your pieces? Can you give a few tips?

W.v.W.: Oh, my pieces are wearable. They are probably not particularly practical, but that’s not what matters to me. Normally, artistic objects – paintings or sculptures, for example – are presented in as neutral a setting as possible, like on a white wall. I find placing objects on a body much more exciting, because that is anything but a neutral environment. Jewelry and wearer should complement each other. Only in the act of wearing does the artistic meaning emerge. In this sense, the photos serve a strongly mediating and interpretive function, and in a way, they are part of the work itself.

T.S.: If I understand you correctly, you see yourself more as an artist than as a jewelry designer?

W.v.W.: Yes, but that distinction is artificial anyway. When you create something, it doesn’t really matter whether it is fine art, applied art, or anything else. That’s more of a theoretical issue. I am interested in objects through which I can process my everyday experiences.

T.S.: What role does jewelry play in everyday life?

W.v.W.: Jewelry is an extremely interesting cultural-historical phenomenon. One changes one’s appearance using additional objects – which is actually quite an absurd idea. These items act as signs on the body, making social differentiation visible. People play with their charisma. Today, this is mostly done through fashion. When I put on sneakers and jeans, I project a sporty, youthful, relaxed image. It’s different when I wear a suit. With jewelry, you can achieve very similar effects. It’s a delicate balance: on the one hand, you want to emphasize individuality, but on the other hand, you must adhere to certain conventions, or you risk exclusion.

T.S.: Someone who actually wears your penis jewelry would, however, be very strongly excluded! Isn’t that a contradiction?

W.v.W.: What I just described refers to conventional jewelry. With my genital jewelry, I naturally crossed those boundaries because I wanted to draw attention to them.

T.S.: Your pieces are strikingly representational. Why is that?

W.v.W.: Many people are put off by this realism. In my personal development, I searched a long time for something like a style. For a while, I also worked abstractly. That appeared highly individual, but in reality, it was already another form of convention. Eventually, I got tired of it and found it more honest to openly show that I always respond formally to things that already exist. I am much more concerned with the idea behind my objects. Their actual appearance is influenced by many factors, ultimately arbitrary. I want to highlight this temporal aspect of formal appearance.

T.S.: But all those pieces that look like historical quotes – are they meant as quotes?

W.v.W.: Yes, in the sense I just described, they are intended as quotations. But I reshape them for my own purposes.

T.S.: Concretely: how did you come up with your genital jewelry?

W.v.W.: Initially, I always made jewelry for myself, meaning men’s jewelry. That was part of my identity exploration, dealing with male images valid in our society, and with my personal role as a man, especially as a gay man. What is considered beautiful? What is considered masculine? How do I judge myself? How dependent am I on conventions? Starting from these questions, I experimented for a long time with conventional men’s jewelry forms: pocket squares, ties, bow ties. Jewelry also always has the function of sexual signaling. So it was quite logical in the end to create something for the naked male body. At first, I thought of an order (medal), and it just slid down.

T.S.: Just recently, major advertising companies in Germany realized that nothing sells as well as a naked man…

W.v.W.: But his penis is never shown. That’s grotesque – the penis is the most tabooed body part in our culture, yet also the central identification object for men.

T.S.: What role do the motifs decorating the penis play?

W.v.W.: I am interested in how and when certain symbols become decorative formulas, that is, conventions. To explore this, I remove the symbols from their original context and place them in a new context where they are actually taboo.

T.S.: Many viewers will nevertheless associate your pieces with contemporary advertising aesthetics. Interestingly, naked men in advertising, unlike women, retain their strength and power; their nudity emphasizes these attributes. When you look at your penis jewelry, however, it tends to provoke a grin.

W.v.W.: That exactly reflects the contradiction I am in. On one hand, I recognize the inconsistency and unreal nature of this male image, yet I am fascinated by it. Once internalized, you can’t emotionally let go of it. That is precisely what fascinates me about cultural-historical phenomena.

T.S.: At first glance, your pieces look so simple. At second glance, an abyss opens up. Don’t you take your audience seriously?

W.v.W.: Yes, but I have few pedagogical ambitions. Ideally, I want to open people’s eyes to certain everyday cultural phenomena.

T.S.: And your next projects?

W.v.W.: I am currently working on a series of table centerpieces, i.e., table jewelry. Some of them I will show in the exhibition in Amsterdam.