JOHAN VAN ASWEGEN

risd connection: Adjunct Faculty, Jewelry + Metalsmithing; at RISD since 1996

about the artist + his work
A highly regarded enamellist and jeweler, Johan van Aswegen was born in Namibia, South Africa and studied in Munich under famed jeweler Herman Junger before coming to RISD in 1996. Van Aswegen’s jewelry encapsulates an age-old tradition in jewelry — that of a personal marker or monument. The scale and tone of his work is monumental; subtle arrangements of historical references and classic forms combine with desert-like tonal variations in color to embody the purity of contemporary ornamentation. His work has been exhibited internationally at galleries and museums including the American Craft Museum, New York; Ntsikana Gallery, South Africa; and the Stadtmuseum, Germany.

education
MFA, Jewelry Design, Akademie Bildenden Kunst, Munich, Germany
BA, Jewelry and Metal Design, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa