Yael Magnes

Yael Magnes | Art jewelry design  

Yael Magnes is an award-winning metalsmith, artist, and designer, born in 1975 in Jerusalem, Israel/Palestine. After being exposed to the art of metalsmithing, she pursued her degree in jewelry design. Being both artist and designer, Yael gravitates towards creating one-of-a-kind objects while consistently questioning the identity and definition of a jewel in her work. Her pursuit lies in finding a place where function, comfort and imagination collide. Yael currently lives and works in Brooklyn with her husband and two young daughters. 

Night is a black mirror: Night reflects our state of being.
I realized that night, a seemingly fundamental concept, an almost childlike knowledge, is in fact an elusive one, and carries with it all the complexity that we carry as human beings. In this project I will create objects reflecting ourselves in them, literally and/or metaphorically. These objects will hold the beauty we can see and feel at night, and the ominous feelings that creep in at the dawn of darkness. My objects’ setting is also the human body, and as such will raise some questions: Will it figuratively reflect the one adorning the piece, or physically reflect the one viewing it, or both? Is the act of wearing a piece of art a reflection of who I am, or creating a character of myself I want to reflect to others? If it mirrors the viewer, are they a part of the art?

What only comes out at night? 

The elusiveness of the theme NIGHT boggles my mind and provokes in me uneasiness, challenging the simplistic definition of it. The more I delve into trying to understand “what only comes out at night?”, the more I realize there isn’t a neatly wrapped answer… Night can reflect our state of being, and if we listen, it echoes our thoughts and feelings back to us. Initially, when I contemplated “What only comes out at NIGHT?” my associations were positive; the beauty of the night sky and the moon, the peaceful quiet that brings focus and inner balance, all the different life forms that awakens at night, intimacy, desires… all these came naturally as I am typically an optimistic and positive person. However, on October 7th, 2023, as a devastating war began, my association of night shifted dramatically. I understood that night brings up a realm of loneliness, fear, worries, doubts, and pain so much pain that I carry within me. Now, months later, as the war keeps on, when lying in my bed, lucky to not be in the eye of the storm, leaving my daily chores behind and getting ready to delve into sleep, if I let myself connect with my feelings, I find myself breaking down, and cry.