In A Hundred Examples of Poetic Objects, Mr. Yang Zhishui examined numerous objects featured in ancient verse, including, naturally, jewellery. We are delighted to discover the centuries-long, ambiguous relationship between jewellery and poetry, with a subtle resonance that fosters a harmonious relationship.

Whilst ‘narrative jewellery’ may be considered more of a genre, there is no doubt that the narrative function of jewellery in the broader sense permeates both its intrinsic qualities and external history. Its external history manifests from primitive magical worship to contemporary consumerism. Regarding its internal qualities, as objects that similarly generate ‘aesthetic sensibility’ through ‘visual imagery’, jewellery possesses unique modes of ‘expression and interpretation’ – thus encountering poetry.

When the viewer directly interprets a work, their own background plays a crucial role. As Gadamer observed, understanding is a reconciliation, compromise, or fusion between the interpreter’s horizon and the horizon of the past – a perspective widely applied in analyzing visual culture. Zhu Guangqian offers a similar perspective from the realm of poetry, positing that appreciating verse constitutes a creative act. Consequently, the imagery perceived and the sentiments evoked by an individual reader, shaped by their character, inclinations, and experiences, cannot align with those of any other reader.

Another interpretation of jewellery involves the wearer’s participation. When adorned, the wearer’s personal narrative naturally intertwines with the piece, generating fresh storytelling presented to the observer. Thus jewellery grants the wearer a right to ‘re-creation’ – an opportunity to imbue their identity with new meaning. Consider poetry: when one recites a verse within a particular setting, this act not only conveys the poet’s creation but also reflects back upon the reciter, embodying the adage that ‘a mind enriched with literature naturally radiates grace’.

Regarding expression, jewellery’s communicative function was long framed within a ‘content-form’ dualism. This approach resembles Croce’s theory of expression, wherein a work is deemed complete when the mind intuitively grasps an image saturated with aesthetic resonance – be it poetry, painting, or other art forms. Modern linguistics, however, recognizes the coherence and simultaneous generation of language and thought. This latter perspective, applicable to poetic theory, is equally evident in contemporary jewellery creation. These works leverage the inherent properties of jewellery language—material, colour, structure, texture, symbolism, and wearability—to articulate concepts, thereby firmly establishing jewellery’s legitimacy within the boundless realm of visual arts.

Thus, recognizing jewellery’s enduring affinity with poetry, we eagerly invite both to progress from resonance and consensus towards collaborative creation. In the exhibition A Poem to be Worn, we have invited jewellery artists and poets to co-create, encouraging every visitor to GALLERY JINJING to listen intently to the whispers of affection exchanged between jewellery and poetry.