Nanna Obel

Nanna Obel’s brooch Heavy weight in blue (2021), created for Art Jewellery Copenhagen’s exhibition Copenhagen ReARRANGED at ATTA Gallery in Bangkok, combines silver, enamel, photo transfer, aquamarine, and a silicone form made by Malene Kastalje. The piece features a stylized female figure whose body dangles beneath a large, sponge-like mass. One arm reaches upward, grasping the weight above with comic resolve.

Obel’s training as both a graphic designer and jewelry artist is evident in her precise, illustrative approach. This work is a wearable collage, constructed with formal contrast and symbolic complexity. The granular, textured blue form held aloft evokes both the absurdity of sculptural props and the real emotional and societal loads women carry. The figure’s body recalls early anatomical diagrams or cut-paper silhouettes, lending a historical and pedagogical air.

Symbolically, Heavy weight in blue plays with ideas of physical strength and gender performance. By juxtaposing softness and exertion, decoration and labor, the work becomes both critique and caricature. Obel’s brooch offers its wearer not only a striking visual object but also a meditative tool—prompting reflection on the expectations placed upon bodies and identities.