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Mari Relo-Šaulys

Mari Relo-Šaulys (b. 1973 in Tallinn)

1996 Burg Giebichenstein Art University in Halle, 1997 EAA

I have participated in exhibitions since 1994. During my studies I tested cooperation with other jewellery artists, fashion designers and scenographers.

My further creation was strongly influenced by participation in international performance art festivals in Alytus (Lithuania) in 1996 and 1998, which consequence was organisation of joint jewellery exhibitions with Adolfas Šaulys.

While in exhibition works I pay most attention to the idea, finding of suitable form for its precise realisation and creation of spatial integrity for exposition of jewellery, in case of a specific person the main aspects are convenience of wearing and the function. The wearer and her personality and the selection of materials come first.

Since 2005 I have been a member of the Estonian Artists’ Association and Jewellery Artists’ Association. In 2005 I received Ede Kurrel Award, in 2010 the annual award of fine and applied art of the Cultural Endowment.- In the book “A-Gallery. Estonian art jewellery gallery for 20 years” (2014)


“I have always liked moving things, including making sounds. Thinking like an engineer, small art. At one time, I put sand in drilled earrings. As they moved, they made a shuffling sound, giving an alarm to slow down. One friend ran to a meeting, heard the shifting of the sand from the earrings while running and thought: “I’ll make it on time,” and continued at a reasonable pace. At around the same time, feedback arrived from a Lithuanian gallerist, a knowledgeable person in respect to art, that she didn’t dare tell sophisticated clients, that there was sand inside the earrings; that it might leave a cheap impression. How can you present such a story in a store environment? Sometimes it becomes the reason for purchasing, sometimes not.” – Mari Relo-Šaulys at the A-gallery exhibition MEMORY CARDS (2019)

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