Next week, the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Riga will open an ambitious jewellery exhibition, Touch-sensitive, which will showcase the creative work of the artists of the Latvian Jewellery Art Association while also revealing the connection between jewellery and its wearers. One of the curators of the exhibition is Ginta Grūbe, who works not only as a jewellery artist but also as a researcher and lecturer. In the Nice Touch section, Ginta talks about her favourite writing and drawing tool.
«My most trusted tools are the rapitograph and paper. The rapitograph is a model of a technical pen developed by the stationery manufacturer Rotring in the mid-20th century, greatly simplifying drafting. About 20 years ago, when I was studying at the Riga School of Design and Art, I was introduced to this tool by my technical drawing teacher, Olga Kurša. A student’s wallet had to plan for its purchase in the monthly budget and schedule it around the days of the scholarship payment. Although I no longer use the rapitograph for its original purpose,I cannot imagine making sketches and notes with other writing instruments, as the rapitograph is pleasant in contact with paper and very handy for fine lines. I use different sizes, but my go-to is 0.2 or finer.»
Ginta Grūbe is a member of the board of the Latvian Jewellery Art Association. Alongside her practice as a jewellery artist, Ginta teaches the history of jewellery at the Art Academy of Latvia and continues her doctoral studies, enriching the field of contemporary jewellery art research. You can follow Ginta’s creative work on her website and Instagram account.
The exhibition of the Latvian Jewellery Art Association, Touch-sensitive, will be on view at the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Riga from February 8 to April 21. It will reveal the work of 23 artists, showing the wide range of different generations and artists’ signature styles, as well as revealing jewellery’s relationship with its wearers. Read more about the exhibition here.
Viedokļi