Global recognition for RMIT art graduate

Conceived in 1987 by Marzee owner, Marie-Jose van den Hout, the Marzee Graduate Show annually showcases graduate jewellery designs from art schools around the globe.

The show offers outstanding graduates the opportunity to exhibit their work in the renowned Galerie Marzee contemporary gallery in the Netherlands.

Work by more than 70 graduates from 33 institutions in 18 countries was on display in the exhibition, with the Marzee Graduate Prize awarded to six graduates from Germany, the USA, Sweden, Japan and Australia.

A graduate of the Bachelor of Arts (Fine Arts) program, Ms Collins received the award for her avant-garde and distinguished industrial-style jewellery pieces.

Her jewellery is inspired by the unfamiliarity of the mechanisms, movements and materiality in tools and machinery.

“My principal focus is the interaction that the wearer has with the object: the opening, unfurling and discovery of the piece,” she said.

Mark Edgoose, senior lecturer in the School of Art, said the award was an excellent acknowledgment of the world class work in the Object based Practice (ObP) course at RMIT.

“To be selected to exhibit in this peak event for international graduates is an achievement in itself and to win one of the prizes is a wonderful accolade for Katie,” he said.

“The award recognises that ObP students are engaged and focused in their own areas of research and are well placed to situate their practice in a global arts context.”

As a Marzee Graduate Prize winner, Ms Collins has been invited to participate in a studio workshop at the Ravary Estate in Belgium with the five other international winners this year.