P e t e r D e c k er s

Jeweller/artist, initiator/organiser, curator, educator Email: p.deckers@xtra.co.nz
Born: Rotterdam, 05-04-1953
Postal address: Po Box 40865, Upper Hutt 5140, Wellington

Ph: +64 4 5269549
Mobile: +64 21 02341233
Currently self-employed and part-time employed by: Whitireia NZ , Te Auaha Wellington, as jewellery

coordinator, senior lecturer in Visual Arts: Jewellery design, Contextual Practice, Body of Work and exhibition coordination/ exhibition practice

Education (selected):
1973 – 1977 Technical Institute for jewellery making and design, MTS vakschool, Schoonhoven (NL) 1980 - 1981 DipTeach, CPDB course, Art Academy, Rotterdam
1981 - 1982 Art Academy, Rotterdam
2001 – 2003 MFA (honours), Elam school of art, Auckland University, Auckland (NZ)

Solo exhibitions (selected):
1989 Environmental Distortions, solo exhibition, gallery 33 1/3, Wellington
2001-2004 the Reproduction Guild, installation Guild Unlimited, Craft Victoria, Melbourne|Edinburgh,

('Craft in the 21st Century' conference)| 2004 Te Manawa Museum, Palmerston North 2002-2005 Greetings from Maori-land, solo exhibition, sound/jewellery installation, Auckland

University, Auckland |2004 Lopdell House, Titirangi, Auckland |2005: Expressions, Upper Hutt 2005 CUSTOMISED, a survey of jewellery, by Peter Deckers, solo exhibition, Pataka Museum, Porirua 2006 Mourning Jewellery from the Chernobyl collection, a Belarusian travel exhibition, solo exhibition,

Sherman Galleries, Paddington, Sydney, Australia
2007 FAR SIGHT: Solo exhibition at Objectspace, 17 November-22 December, Auckland, New Zealand 2010 Moving Targets and Pleasure Beast, installations, Thinkspace , solo exhibition of two installations -

an investigation of targets and what it can mean to be in the sights of others, Masterworks

Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand
2011 SATELLITE poster-work for GIVE &TAKE (Pleasure Beast), two simultaneous exhibitions at Auckland

Art Fair 2011 and the SeeHere, Wellington (2 connected solo exhibitions) 2013 de:FORMATION, installation, solo exhibition, SeeHere gallery, Wellington 2014 Dove Poo, installation, solo exhibition, SeeHere gallery, Wellington
2015 Cyclic Solitaire, installation, solo exhibition, The SeeHere gallery, Wellington 2016 Deflating Standard, solo exhibition, Avid gallery, Wellington
2019 Asymmetry & Antimatter, Avid gallery, Wellington

Group exhibitions (selected):
1996 – 2018 participated in each Fingers annual group exhibition, Fingers gallery, Auckland
1996 The second New Zealand Jewellery Biennial: The Same but Different, organised and toured by The

Dowse Art Museum
1998 The Third New Zealand Jewellery Biennial: Turangawaewae: A Public Outing, organised and toured

by The Dowse Art Museum
2001 The fourth New Zealand jewellery exhibition Grammar: subjects and objects’, Dowse Art Museum,

jewellery/sound installation: “Now Then, Who Owns What?” Dowse Art Museum, Hutt City,

Govett Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth
2003 Shut-Up series: installation KitschORama, Pataka Museum, Porirua
2004 Dutch artists in New Zealand, ‘Acoustic Tile installation’ (with sound), Pataka Museum, Porirua

1/6

2003 Precious, Hirschfeld gallery (City Art gallery), Wellington
2005 200 rings exhibition, Velvet Da Vinci, San Francisco, USA
2006 Stolen Jewels [group exhibition curated by Octavia Cook, Renee Bevan and Sandra Bushby 2007 The Earrings Show, Velvet Da Vinci, 17 October -25 November, San Francisco, USA
2007 Small Wonders, group exhibition, Object Space, Auckland
2008 Like: An Experiment in Interpretation, Suter Gallery, 13 April- 25 May, Nelson, New Zealand;

Hawkes Bay Museum and Art Gallery, 18 October -22 March 2009, Napier, New Zealand.
2008 The Pendant Show: Celebrating 500 Pendants and Lockets by Lark Books (curated by Mike Holmes

& Elizabeth Shypertl), Velvet Da Vinci Gallery, October 29-30 November, San Francisco, USA 2008 Brand Spanking New, National Jewellery Show [featured group exhibition curated by Karl

Chitham], Wellington New Zealand
2008 Treasure Trove [group exhibition of jewellery and sculpture from invited artists], Masterworks

Gallery, 18-16 November, Auckland, New Zealand
2009 Talisman, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu, 5 December-4 February 2010,

Christchurch, New Zealand
2010 Pocket Guide to New Zealand Jewellery, Velvet Da Vinci Gallery, 13 - 28 February, San Francisco 2010 DANNER-ROTUNDE Schmuck in der Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, Germany. Curated by Karl

Fritsch
2012-13 Retrospect pays respect to New Zealand contemporary jeweller, Peter Deckers, Pah

Homestead, Auckland and the Dowse Art museum, Wellington
2013 Multiple Exposures - Jewelry and Photography, curated by Ursula Newman, MAD, NY
2014 Schmuck, Handwerkmesse, Munich
2014 Wunderrūma: New Zealand Jewellery, Handwerk kammer, Munich, Auckland Art gallery, and

Dowse Art Museum, Wellington
2015 Wundermeke, Fingers gallery, Auckland
2015 Pearl exhibition, Masterworks gallery, Auckland 4 - 27 May
2015 Wear the Wares, Boston, 22 May
2016 Fifty Upper Hutt Heroes, Expressions, Upper Hutt
2018 ‘21 Grams’, 2018 Hangzhou Contemporary International Jewelry and Metal Art Triennial 2018 Schuck- Schmock, Northcity4, Melbourne, http://northcity4.com/tempcontemp/current-

exhibitions/
2019 The Neck, Projectspace, Sydney https://bridgetkennedy.com.au/TheNeck/ 2019 Brazil jewery weekend, São Paulo (21/22 Sept)

Activities, Curation, (selected):
1989-continue Jewellery coordinator and senior lecturer, Whitireia NZ
1999 curator of ‘Deep’ Rings in Fishbowls Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt | Deeper Still 2000, Eon,

Auckland
2006 Co-curator Jewellery Out of Context (JOC), The Muse, Sydney | Objectspace, Auckland | Mary E

Black Gallery, Halifax, Canada | CODA, Apeldoorn, NL
2007, 14, 15, 16, (17) JEWELtalk (Small Talk), organising seminar series Wellington Jewellers, Toi

Poneke, Wellington
2009 -2015 cofounding member of The SeeHere gallery, Wellington
2011 - continue HANDSHAKE Project, a mentor and exhibition project for selected NZ jewellers, founder,

organisor, curator, artist director, programme designer, web master, editor, photographer, photo

editor, exhibition designer. Funded by Creative NZ since 2011
2012 JEMposium, Jewellery or What, symposium Wellington 10 – 13 Feb 2012, artistic director and

organiser (funded by Creative New Zealand)
2014 Curator of Kete, Whitireia graduate exhibition, NZAFA, Wellington
2016 Curation of SPECIALS, Residenz Palaz, Munich
2018 Curation of CHAINreaction, Atta gallery, Bangkok
2018 Curator of Super Positions, Stanley Street gallery, Sydney
2018 Curator of IWA, New Zealand contemporary Jewellery, Frame gallery, Handwerksmesse, Munich 2/6

2018 Co-curator of JEWELdisplayJEWEL, Pataka museum, Porirua
2018 NZ curator for the NZ-UK collaboration: TE AO HURIHURI – EVER CHANGING WORLD, Crypt gallery,

London
2019 CODA museum, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands, HANDSHAKE 5 in dialogue with the CODA collection

(opening 13 Oct)
2019 TE URU, Auckland, HANDSHAKE 5 in response with the Te Uru space (opening 06 Dec)

Publications (selected):
1993 Two Worlds, Deckers, P., Craft New Zealand magazine, issue 45, pp12-13 (feature article) 1996 The second New Zealand Jewellery Biennial: The Same but Different, The Dowse Art Museum,

catalogue
1998 The Third New Zealand Jewellery Biennial: Turangawaewae: A Public Outing, The Dowse Art

Museum, catalogue
1999 100 NZ Craft Artists, Schamroth, H. Random House New Zealand, Auckland (writer)
2001 The fourth New Zealand jewellery exhibition Grammar: subjects and objects’, The Dowse Art

Museum, catalogue
2003 Nose rubbing with Otto, Deckers P., Lemmel magazine, Australia (writer)
2004 1000 Rings/ editor; Marthe Le Van, introduction by Robert Ebendorf, Lark books, New York
2005 Customised, a survey of jewellery, by Peter Deckers, 2005, First Editions, Wellington
2005 Iinherited futures: technology to trap ideas JMGA Conference -, Baines, R. & Errey, S. RMIT Press,

Melbourne (writer)
2006 Choicesofthehand,asurveyofworkfromNewZealandjewellerPeterDeckers,introductionby

Stevan Eldred-Grigg, book, First Editions, Wellington
2006 Deckers, P., Freeman, W., and Bevan , R. (curators), HANDSTAND, SkyCity Convention Centre,

Auckland
2007 Jewellery Out of Context (JOC world tour), catalogue edited by D Wood
2007 500 Earrings: New Directions in Contemporary Jewelry, Larks Books, New York
2007 500 Wedding Rings: Celebrating a Classic Symbol of Commitment, Larks Books, New York
2008 500 Pendants & Lockets: Contemporary Interpretations of Classic Adornments, Larks Books, New

York
2009 On Location, making stories: siting, citing, sighting, ed Karin Findeis, JMGA, Sydney
2009 The Compendium Finale of Contemporary Jewellers ‘2008’, Andy Lim, Co-edited by Pforzheim

Museum of Jewellery and Coda Museum Apeldoorn, Darling Publications, Munich
2009 500 Plastic Jewelry Designs, Lark Books, New York
2009 Handstand: Unfamiliar and Innovative Contemporary Jewellery, exhibition catalogue, editor Peter

Deckers, Wellington
2010 Pocket Guide to New Zealand Jewelry, dr Damian Skinner, Velvet Davinci, San Francisco
2011 21st Century Jewelry: The Best of the 500 Series, Marthe Le Van (co-judging and participation),

Lark Books
2011 Marthe Le Van, 21st Century Jewelry: The Best of the 500 Series, (co-judging and participation),

Lark Books
2012 500 Rings New Directions in Art Jewelry (500 Series), Bruce Metcaff/Marthe Le Van, Lark Books 2013 Beijing International Jewelry Art Bienalle, catalogue
2013 Peter Deckers & Mary Jane Duffy, HandShake, NZ jewellers connect with their heroes, book 2014 NOOVO, special edition: http://www.noovoeditions.com/NOOVO/PeterDeckers.html
2014 Wunderrūma catalogue
2014 Multiple exposures, Mad museum, book
2014 Damian Skinner & Kevin Murray: Place & Adornment: A History of Contemporary Jewellery in

Australia and New Zealand, book
2014 Damian Skinner: Fingers: Jewellery for Aotearoa New Zealand
2005-2016 (co editor/writer/producer/editor/photographer) 9 Whitireia jewellery catalogues: Origins

(05), Dressing Up (06), Drawn (07), Forgery (08), Cameo (09), What Is (10), The Complete Question

Mark (11), Speak (12), JEWELS of Whitireia (16)

2016 SPECIALS: Twenty-one jewellery artists from New Zealand, editor Peter Deckers, published by JEMbooks

2017 SPANpoints, catalogue with writings from Hilde de Decker, Kim Paton, Tanel Veenre, Peter Deckers, Sofia Björkman, a gazette from London-based ‘Dialogue Collective’ and introductions to the practices of the twelve Handshake 3 artists. Editor Peter Deckers, JEMbooks publication

2017 Contemporary Jewellery in Context: a Handshake Blueprint, with contributing writers Kim Paton (NZ), Liesbeth den Besten (NL), Sian van Dyk (NZ), Peter Deckers (NZ), Benjamin Lignel (Fr), Editor: Peter Deckers Design: Becky Bliss. Publisher: Arnoldsche, Germany

Writings (selected):
1993 Two Worlds, Deckers, P., Craft New Zealand magazine, issue 45, pp12-13 (feature article)
2003 Nose rubbing with Otto, Deckers P., Lemmel magazine, Australia (writer)
2005 – 2012 (co-editor/writer/producer) Whitireia jewellery catalogues: Origins (05), Dressing Up (06),

Drawn (07), Forgery (08), Cameo (09), What Is (10), The Complete Question Mark (11), Speak (12) 2006 Jewellery Out of Context (JOC), publication, 2006, First Editions, Wellington
2007 Jewellery Out of Context (JOC world tour), catalogue edited by D Wood, Astra Print, Wellington 2009 Handstand: Unfamiliar and Innovative Contemporary Jewellery, exhibition catalogue, editor Peter

Deckers, Wellington
2009 On Location, making stories: siting, citing, sighting, ed Karin Findeis, JMGA, Sydney 2010 The meaning and communication of jewellery

(http://www.theseehere.com/readhere/themeaningandcommunicationofjewellery.html) 2013 Overview #14, the Munich edition, feature article (email distribution of 500 international

members)
2014 Pilgrimage to Munich, ArtNews magazine, winter issue

(http://handshake2dotcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/pilgrimage-to-munich-artnews-

article.pdf)
2014 Noovo magazine special: http://www.noovoeditions.com/NOOVO/PeterDeckers.html
2014 Overview #18, feature article Wunderrūma, Two exhibitions in Two locations
2015 Jewellery frontiers’ virtual and analogue HANDSHAKE (Klimt02 article) http://klimt02.net/forum/articles/jewellery-frontiers-virtual-and-analogue-handshake-peter-deckers 2016 SPECIALS: Twenty-one jewellery artists from New Zealand, editor Peter Deckers, published by

JEMbooks
2017 SPANpoints, catalogue with writings from Hilde de Decker, Kim Paton, Tanel Veenre, Peter

Deckers, Sofia Björkman, a gazette from London-based ‘Dialogue Collective’ and introductions to

the practices of the twelve Handshake 3 artists. Editor Peter Deckers, JEMbooks publication 2017 Contemporary Jewellery in Context: a Handshake Blueprint, with contributing writers Kim Paton

(NZ), Liesbeth den Besten (NL), Sian van Dyk (NZ), Peter Deckers (NZ), Benjamin Lignel (Fr), Editor: Peter Deckers Design: Becky Bliss. Publisher: Arnoldsche, Germany

Speaker:

2004 Inherited Futures, Technologies to Trap Ideas, JMGA Conference: RMIT, Melbourne
2007 SmallTalk , Toi Poneke arts center, Wellington: two papers about education and making practices 2006 Jewellery in and out of context. In Proceedings of On Location Making Stories: Siting, Citing,

Sighting, 12th Biennial Jewellers and Metalsmiths of Australia (JMGA) Conference, 26-29 January 2013 Interactive Partners. Participation + Exchange, the 15th Biennial Jewellers and Metalsmiths Group

of Australia Conference (keynote speaker) 12-14 July 2013 in Brisbane 2014, 15, 16, 17 JEWELtalk, Toi Poneke (symposium)
2018 The Crypt gallery, London, symposium with Dialogue collective

Collections (selected):
1975- continue Private collections 4/6

2001 Dowse Art museum acquisition
2008 James Wallace arts trust acquisition
2014 Powerhouse collection acquisition
2015 Danner Collection, The International Design Museum Munich, Germany, acquisition 2015 The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, acquisition
2017 Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide

Awards (selected):
1990 access workshop grand, Creative NZ
2006 curation grand for HandStand, Creative NZ
2006 Jewellery Out of Context, world tour, international curation grand, Creative NZ
2006 Jewellery Out of Context, the book, publication grand, Creative NZ
2011 Handshake Project, project grand, Creative NZ
2011 HandShake, NZ jewellers connect with their heroes, book grand
2014 Curators ‘travel grand, Creative NZ
2014 – 2019 Handshake Project, through Creative NZ Toi Uru Kahikatea Investment programme 2020-22 for a series of NZ jewellery programmes, through Creative NZ Toi Uru Kahikatea Investment

programme

Other (selected):
1981 -1985 Co-founder member Limits workshop/studio collective, Rotterdam (NL)
1981- 1985 Co-founder member Limits Gallery, Den Briel (NL)
1981 – 1985 Part time teaching at the Werkschuit, Gouda, The Netherlands
1985 Emigrated to New Zealand
1988 – continue Whitireia New Zealand, jewellery coordinator/program leader, senior tutor (part time) 1999 – 2000 Board member Craftinfo Organisation (Nga Taonga Hine-te-iwa-iwa)
2001 Access Workshop Grant, CNZ
2004 Art news, Corner, K, Wellington, New Zealand, summer 2004, p 21
2004 Radio NZ interview with Lyn Freeman
2005 Spot Line on Peter Deckers, editorial, House and Garden Magazine, September 2005, p66
2005 Jewellery in the Crown, Amery M, review article, Dominium Post, Wellington 23-09, B16
2006 CNZ grand for Jewellery Out of Context, Sydney
2007 CNZ grand for JOC world tour (Canada and the Netherlands)
2007 Organisation for SmallTalk, hui/forum, Wellington with Liesbeth den Besten and Love Jönsson. 2008 (acquisition) Farsight installation with 80 objects, Rannoch Upper Gallery, The James Wallace Trust

and Collection, Auckland, New Zealand.
2008 - 2011 Arts advisor Object art, CNZ
2010 CNZ grant for Handshake project
2011 CNZ grant for Handshake publication
2012 JEMposium, Jewellery or What, symposium Wellington 10 – 13 Feb 2012

(http://www.jemposium.co.nz/), artistic director and organiser (funded by Creative New Zealand) 2012 Ringmaster, feature article by Mark Amery, the Listener March 10-16 2012
2012 Curator’s travel and stipend grant (Creative New Zealand) to Schmuck and Talente, Munich
2012 Publication and exhibition, Munich grant (Creative New Zealand) for two Handshake projects 2013 Masterclass: Small Object photography for publication, Griffin University, Brisbane, Australia 2013: Radio NZ interview (Arts on Sunday):

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/artsonsunday/audio/2557978/the-handshake-

project
2013 Handshake Project awarded kahikatea Creative NZ funding (3 year project) 2013 Stone, Bone and Shell, interview with Lisa Walker:

http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/WhatsOn/allevents/Pages/BoneStoneShell.aspx
2014 Radio NZ interview: http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/standing-room-

only/audio/20149577/a-two-way-street-handshake2

2015 podcast interview: https://soundcloud.com/thedowse/episode-17-in-the-80s-i-could-even-make- a-potato-sell

2014 Bone Stone and Shell seminar speaker, Tepapa Tongarewa, 20 Oct, http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/WhatsOn/allevents/Pages/BoneStoneShell.aspx

on line recording: https://www.hightail.com/download/OGhjT0NaQk5kMnRnRXNUQw 2015 Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, acquisition (15 brooches)

http://avidgallery.blogspot.co.nz/
2015 Organiser of SCHMUCKtalk seminar, Toi Pōneke, Wellington (29 May) 2015 Peter Deckers: Deflating Standard, by Susan Cummins, AJF article:

http://www.artjewelryforum.org/artists/peter-deckers-deflating-standard 2016 Handshake Project awarded kahikatea Creative NZ funding (3 year project)

1. 2016:  Overview issue 26: Specials, a Handshake Alumni show by Peter Deckers

2. 2017:  talk interview on creating artist support networks with Peter Deckers:

   https://soundcloud.com/user-423682401/urban-dreams-podcast-2-on-looking-after-each-other-1 http://urbandreambrokerage.org.nz/urban-dreams-podcast/2017/9/1/on-taking-care-of-each- other-with-herbee-bartley-and-peter-deckers

Work experiences (selected entries):
1977 - 78 Work experience, jewellery workshop De Vaals, Schoonhoven,
1979 – 80 Work experience jewellery workshop, Kathmandu Nepal
1980 Apprenticeship part-one: jewellery workshop l’Artican, Rotterdam and
1980 Apprenticeship part-two: Jack van Osnabrugge jewellery workshop and gallery, The Hague 1980 – 1985 Part time jewellery tutor, de Werkschuit, Gouda (NL)
1980 – cont. Self-employed jewellery making and exhibition practice (NL and NZ)
1989 – 2018 Educational projects: part time senior tutor – coordinator of the jewellery programme,

lecturer in Visual Arts (BAppA): Whitireia Polytechnic, Porirua (NZ)
2000-cont. Curation/organisation practice and projects coordination
2002 – 2011 design and build own studio and house in the Akatarawa’s, Upper Hutt, NZ (includes all

trades)
2006-cont. Publication projects (JEMbooks publishing)
2011 – 2019 Handshake project coordination (artistic director, editor, exhibition design, curator,

photographer, photo editor, writer)
2018 – cont. Jewellery coordinator and senior tutor Whitireia NZ: location and name change: Te Auaha,

NZ institute of Creativity, Wellington
2020-22 Artistic director for a three year programme of skills developments, workshops and exhibitions

for New Zealand jewellers (includes 2 HANDSHAKE Projects, masterclasses, NZ Jewellery Triennial).