Alexandra Ferreira is a queer junior jeweller from Lisbon, Portugal. After finishing her studies at António Arroio Arts School in Lisbon with a specialization in Artistic Production - Goldsmithing in 2018, she moved to London to pursue her education in jewellery at London College of Fashion (2018-2021). Currently taking an MA in Social Anthropology with a focus on Social Movements and Gender Theory at Goldsmiths, University of London she aims to deepen her research on the relation between the material and the body. Now based in London, she crafts jewels and objects mainly manipulating with recycled silver through lost wax carving and casting.
Alexandra Ferreira
she/her
"As an artist and designer, I consider myself an iconoclast. While manipulating and destroying icons and symbols which I often consider oppressive somehow I intend to materialize it into an act of resistance. Using metal in combination with other materials I aim to create through the rough visual language of my designs and adornments physical objects that dismantle any type of hierarchy, hegemony or oppression. Throughout my practice I explore themes such as patriarchy, imperialism, taste and class, among others."
“Queerphoria is the freedom to express myself as a celebration and construction of my identity with no limits. It’s the joy of being aware of the fluidity of my identity and being able to accept and explore it beyond boundaries creating room for self-discovery. It’s the construction of a safe space socially, culturally and physically for all queer people to manifest themselves and their feelings freely and comfortably. Queer joy is an act of resistance against oppressive structures which is vital for queer survival and safety.”
What does [queerphoria] mean to you? This can be something felt, experienced, or made.
(De)Merit medal, Brass, fabric (old tie), stainless steel, 7cmx4cm, 2021
“Manifesting my identity through materiality comes a lot through spontaneity and experimentation. Material choices evolve along with my fluid identity creating an open space for a bloom of creativity and exploration. An adornment, and sub consequently its materiality, plays such an important part in the identity expression of queer people, and for me as queer, being able to express myself to others through wearable objects is like sharing a bit of my personal space and identity with the wearer, making this sort of bashful connection.
I wouldn't say material choices in my pieces are something I think too much through, it comes on impulsively and I limit myself to respond creatively to that impulse in order to express what I intend to communicate, whether it is through the color of the material or for its specific properties, as long as it contributes to creating a visual language it comes quite instinctively.”
What does being queer mean to you in relation to your material choices? Is it something you consider?
Is the work queer because the maker is queer, or is it queer because the subject matter is queer?
“An object or an artwork will always reflect the artist/maker's moral and political values and therefore position the artist in a certain stance. Because art is such a personal expression of one's perspective of the world its creator cannot really reshape its identity in other forms. Now, I do consider it to be the artists’ personal decision on how they intend to express their identity and values creatively and how their own personal experiences and cultural background will impact their practice, so in my opinion, it can be both.”
OUT, Steel, brass, acrylic, rubber, elastic band, 16cmx16cm, 2019
“I would say my creative practice evolves along with my identity: experimentation, construction, dismantling, the whole process of playing around with materials and objects and the theoretical research that shapes the final piece also leaves a mark on me. Queerness is not manifested directly in the pieces themselves, is more through the act of experimentation and spontaneity and also how I grow along with each project.”
What role does your studio practice play in your identity- if at all?
“Yes, 100%. My work differs from either a more self-reflective and conceptual contemporary approach to a more simplistic one. With the conceptual pieces, I expect the viewer or wearer to engage critically and reflectively with the object and challenge them to go deeper into the meaning of its message and the materiality of it, to understand its visual language and wonder: what is this object communicating? For the small pieces, I intend the wearer to play around with how they express their identity through these wearable objects and dare them to be experimental and spontaneous, exploring identity is really the key here.”
When creating your work, do you consider the relationship your object has with the viewer?
Your royal highness, Pearls, silver, stainless steel, thread,12cmx12cm, 2021
“Well, I would like to thank Queer Metalsmiths and NYC Jewelry Week for making [queerphoria] possible and for creating such an important platform and exhibition to raise the community's voices and visibility. Creating such space allows room for makers, including myself, to create a safe space to manifest all identities through their creative practice: it reinforces creative expression as an act of resistance against oppressive structures, which is vital for queer survival and safety.”