In Our Gallery with Malki Studio

How long have you been artists and how did you get started?

Malki Studio is composed of three artists; Ariella, Lia and Adam Anderson.

While each of us has been making art for a long time as independent artists, united as Malki Studio we have been active for about a year.

For many years we’ve discussed starting a family business that amalgamates our skills and experience.

Malki Studio is that business.

Tell us about your artwork displayed by Bundaberg Regional Galleries as part of the Here + Now exhibition?

The three of us feel quite strongly about jewellery’s ability to positively influence how a person thinks and feels about themselves.

It is a way of empowering oneself with confidence and a fortified sense of one’s own identity.

For the Here + Now exhibition we have made a ring that makes use of the treasures which can be found beneath our feet in Queensland.

With this ring, we have chosen to use a local beach rock (collected from our Bargara residence) as the centre stone.

Supporting this stone are two bright white zircons from Rubyvale, which were ethically mined by an elderly local couple.

We think that this ring would bring to its wearer a deep connection to this land as it continually refers to this region through its materials.

What medium was used and how does this reflect your usual practice?

The Burning Mountain is made from responsibly sourced sterling silver, a Bargara beach rock, and 1.2 carats (o.6 each) of ethically sourced white zircons from Rubyvale (Queensland).

We are motivated by the enriching and enjoyable process of creation, in which raw materials transform and by extension become transformative and empowering devices of self-expression.

Malki Studio metals are responsibly sourced and many of our gemstones are similarly ethically sourced or reclaimed and repurposed.

What do you love most about what you do?

Our collective practice is rooted in the appreciation of culture, heritage, the landscape, history and the socio-political experiences of contemporary life.

We consider it our role to go beyond making desirable objects but to interact with contemporary life, celebrating its freedoms and challenging outdated and problematic values.

It is our aim to make objects of self-empowerment, objects that protect and fortify as they adorn and speak to one’s identity and worldview.

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