Aleksandra Atanasovski

Floral decoration

The collection is inspired by the flowers that are arranged in garlands in Eastern countries such as India and Thailand, and given to welcome people and especially as offerings to deities. In Indian culture, offering has a different place than it does here. This practice is rooted in ancient Indian culture and can be said to be part of the process on the path to enlightenment. The decoration on Bodhisattvas is full of symbols that reflect their inner qualities. They are whimpering with their virtues and the jewellery they wear represents this. This rich mentality of putting on virtues for the benefit of others and not just to beautify one's own body is remarkable to me. Thus, all the practices of the Bodhisattvas are arranged in garlands of flowers that we too can wear. And if sometimes we just remember this meaning, we contribute a flower to our own garland.

Aleksandra Atanasovski

Aleksandra Atanasovski graduated from the Accademia di belle arti di Brera in Milan in 1993 with a degree in painting after finishing her secondary studies at the School of Design. In 1994 she went to India where she studied Tibetan Buddhism and learned about Tibetan ritual painting. She returned to Slovenia in 2001, worked as a graphic designer throughout her post-academy career, and in 2003 was employed as a designer at Fructal in Ajdovščina. From 2008 to 2010 she designed the local newspaper Prepih. Since 2006, again after a long break, she has been designing jewellery. In contemporary art jewellery she has found her medium, space and expression. She sees jewellery as a communication object through which she expresses ideas about society, the individual and about raising awareness of various phenomena. She strives (together with some of her colleagues) to make this branch of jewellery come alive and become recognised in Slovenia, as it is elsewhere in the world. In 2018, together with Maja Licul, she founded Studio Eho, a studio for contemporary and artistic jewellery, located at Slovenska 17 Street in Ljubljana. She makes, exhibits and sells her jewellery in the studio. The studio also hosts other contemporary jewellery and art creators.