The word metamorphosis has Greek roots meaning transformation, a subject that the Roman poet Ovid explored in his book Metamorphoses (8 AD). Weaving together Greek and Roman fairytales, stories and myths, Ovid’s tales of people turning into animals, plants and stones has been a recurring companion for Arje Griegst, most notably seen in the Faces series.
Faces appear throughout Arje Griegst’s work as part of his self-styled fables. Finely detailed in cire perdue, pieced together from the mysticism of precious stones or cast as miniature busts displayed on a finger. For the most part Arje started by putting his ideas on paper. Many of his sketchworks portrays faces in all kinds of shapes and forms.
Created in the early seventies, the Faces series explore a fascination with metamorphosis in Greek and Roman mythology through several incomparably skilful pieces. Many are self-portraits depicting Griegst’s anxieties or fiery emotions, like a merman ring from the early eighties: a masterpiece modelled in solid beeswax, cast in a hard wax shell and finished in cire perdue to bring out all the lifelike, furious details. If sound came out of its mouth, it would be waves, wind and rolling thunder.
Arje Griegst’s superior craftsmanship shows in the way he seamlessly moves from gold to porcelain and not only retains his extravagantly detailed language but also gives it new life. In 1971, Royal Copenhagen invites Griegst to be part of its newly established collaborative studio with silversmiths A. Michelsen (now part of Georg Jensen), set up to experiment with porcelain and silver.
The jewelry and belt buckle collection debuts in 1975 for Royal Copenhagen’s 200-year anniversary and is Griegst’s highly personal and playful take on Greek and Roman masks, showcasing his love of fusing the grotesque and the beautiful. Each piece, from the naughty cherubs based on his children to the devilish self-portrait Egemand (The Oak Man, a present to HM the Queen of Denmark), is a work of art: modelled first in plasticine and wax, then cast in plaster from silicone moulds before emerging from the plaster mould as lively porcelain faces, glazed in painterly colours and mounted in pewter and silver. It is while working on this collection that Griegst is asked by Royal Copenhagen to do the now legendary Triton dinnerware.
Today, the Faces lives on through 18K gold rings and pendants as a timeless expression for emotions, mythology and craftmanship - capturing the human psyche in finely detailed gold.