ARTIST SERIES
Drawing inspiration from memories of his upbringing, Bertrand Mak attempts to recreate the awe and wonder evoked by the legends of art history under a contemporary context in the form of singular object. Searching through a learned archive of visual vocabulary, SAUVEREIGN’s Artist Series reimagines new narratives that reflect upon Mak’s own identity as an artist.
Classic
SHADOW I
The SHADOW I Gem collection references the visual motifs that appear in Warhol’s eponymous series. Within each pair, one side utilises a shadow pattern found in the artwork, while the other depicts its reflection in negativity – a playful interpretation of the unrevealed subject in Warhol’s work.
The various shadow patterns are gilded in a single-coloured gold leaf. Upon close inspection, its hazy edges reveal feather-like carvings, created by hand using a scalpel and through repeated sanding and polishing. Recalling the processes used by Warhol, SAUVEREIGN’s SHADOW I Gem is presented in an array of vibrant colours, each unique with nuanced details.
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SHADOW II
SAUVEREIGN’s SHADOW II collection features diamond dust – or crushed German glass – an unconventional material often used in Warhol’s practice. Hand-sprinkled atop a deeply saturated gradient with subtle changes in tone, the diamond dust is arranged in a fluid, river-like pattern, creating a brilliant three-dimensionality that seems to reach beyond its boundaries.
Delving deeper into the enigma of Shadows as well as Warhol’s exploration of nothingness, the aesthetic of SHADOW II is also reminiscent of stars, space, and galaxies – the largest mysteries of the prevailing era, yet evocative of our collective curiosity and wonder.
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SHADOW III
An evolution of the preceding collections, SHADOW III plays with ideas of light and shadow through the added elements of a mirror base as well as phosphorescent ink on selected Gems. Featuring four different kinds of gold-leaf base, each is hand-burnished until reflective, its curvature revealing a resplendent mirage of the surrounding environment.
Gold dust is also blown onto each Gem, creating subtle textures that further embellish the surface. As it glimmers under different lighting and angles, the appearance of the gold dust alternates between individual particles and a shimmering veil that obscures the view. Sharing similar hand-carved edges as motifs in SHADOW I, the scratches in SHADOW III appear even more intense and violent.
Legacy
SHADOW IV
SAUVEREIGN’s SHADOW IV Legacy is an artistic departure that transcends beyond an homage to Andy Warhol’s Shadows. A reimagination of its enigmatic subject, this collection provides unique elucidation to its continually debated imagery.
With over 30 coats of gold leaf, lacquer, and ink, SHADOW IV’s painterly composition highlights bold and detailed cross-hatching over abstract, layered colour fields. Using vibrant visual language signature to the maison, SHADOW IV presents an original interpretation of the mystery posed by Warhol, filling in its void to create an entirely new work of art.
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INK 1
SAUVEREIGN’s INK 1 collection features bold, powerful brushstrokes, gilded in gold leaf and overlaid atop a matte and deeply saturated base. Fluid lattices of delicate gold leaf veins permeate each stroke, as if ink spreading organically on paper.
Revealing only the silhouettes of gestural brushstrokes, INK 1 appears as if a haunting remnant of its mark-maker. Influenced by French artist Yves Klein and Japanese artist Kazuo Shiraga, whose performances featured painting using parts of the human body, INK 1 explores the unavoidable loss of information in the translation of movement to material as well as physical evidence that is inevitably left behind.
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INK 2
Inspired by the visual dichotomy ubiquitous to both traditional and contemporary ink paintings, SAUVEREIGN’s INK 2 exemplifies the notion of duality. Featuring strong, dynamic brushstrokes gilded in two different types of gold leaf, the distinctive motifs work to balance and complement one another, interweaving across the pictorial plane to complete a harmonious composition.
The handcrafted processes of this Gem is also conflicted in its labourious nature. Owing to the fragility of the material, the application of gold leaf requires extreme control and dexterity. Yet, the imagery it forms appears bold and uninhibited. With an added glossy finish that further enhances its vibrance, SAUVEREIGN’s exuberant INK 2 collection captures the paradoxical but vitalising poeticism of opposing forces.
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INK 3
SAUVEREIGN’s INK 3 collection features a reflective gold leaf base. Its mirror effect is created through repeated hand-burnishing. Brilliant but neutral in colour, the use of a gold-leaf background emphasises the vibrance and intensity of the ink via contrast. This effect is further heightened by the phosphorescent ink present in selected Gems.
The collection recalls artworks of T’ang Haywen, a Parisian-Chinese artist who was known to fuse the Asian spiritual aesthetic of ink brush painting with Western abstract expressionism. Using translucent silkscreen ink, the depicted brushstrokes appear suspended in motion, eternally immortalised in its fluid state.
Legacy
INK 4
The most intricate and resplendent of the SAUVEREIGN’s INK collection, INK 4 Legacy comprises over 80 steps in its making with layers upon layers of translucent and phosphorescent silkscreen ink and gold leaf atop a reflective gold-leaf base.
The INK 4 Legacy collection bears visual and conceptual similarities to the practices of Gutai artists Shozo Shimamoto, Kazuo Shiraga, as well as Abstract Expressionist Jackson Pollock, whose artworks were created through acts of spontaneity. Composed of dribbling, splattering, gestural, as well as detailed strokes, INK 4 embodies a duality of both liberation and deliberation, conflict and harmony – each Gemornate with both striking and nuanced complexities.
Legacy
INK 4 Legacy Roy Fox
SAUVEREIGN’s vibrant and dynamic INK 4 Legacy Roy Fox Gem collection is inspired by the iconic visual language of Roy Lichtenstein, overlaying gestural brushstrokes against mechanical stripes and Gem-shaped Ben-Day dots.
Each Gem is composed of an array of abstract yet directional motifs atop a gold leafed and hand-burnished mirror surface. Drawing the eye in and out, the layered patterns appear as if suspended in a three-dimensional space, inviting its spectator into a surreal world of colour. Deconstructing and bringing elements of Lichtenstein into the real world, SAUVEREIGN’s INK 4 Legacy Roy Fox Gemis as if an object manifested and materialised fromone of his artworks.
Classic
JAZZ
SAUVEREIGN’s JAZZ collection features vibrant imagery of an imagined species of blooming flora. Its composition comprises abstract and overlapping Gemshaped petals atop monochromatic and deeply saturated pigments, each mixed by hand for maximum radiance.
Handcrafted with meticulous skill, the depicted motifs juxtapose solid fields of gold leaf with thin, delicate veins that outline each petal. Recalling Matisse’s masterful use of gouache on paper, each contoured section is richly and evenly painted with no discernible brushstrokes. A curated collage of independent forms, the layered imagery of each Gem appears as if an optical illusion that challenges viewers’ perception to alternate between the individual and the whole.
Legacy
JAZZ 2
SAUVEREIGN’s JAZZ 2 Legacy collection is embellished and adorned with semiprecious stones, exquisitely placed within floral motifs to imitate a ladybird or the stigma of a flower.
Dazzling with delightful radiance, the semi-precious stones include Green Tsavorite, Orange Citrine, Red Garnet, Lemon Quartz, and Morganite, each thoughtfully paired with a hand-mixed colour palette of which it perfectly complements. JAZZ 2 Legacy Gems also feature gold-leaf petals that are burnished by hand to create a mirror effect. An assemblage of zestful visual stimulations, the craftsmanship of each Gem requires a cornucopia of varied techniques – perfectly combined within each picture.
Classic
ARCTIC 1
SAUVEREIGN’s ARCTIC Collection is as if ever-evolving pieces of artwork. Each Gem features hand-cut, bi-colour gold leaf, each applied and distributed evenly by hand. Owing to its highly artisanal nature, each composition is and can never be repeated. Its deeply saturated base is available in an array of individually calibrated hand-mixed pigments. Subtly resplendent with unknowable depth, each Gem is as beautiful and tempting as the mysterious Arctic.
Legacy
ARCTIC 2
Inspired by Symbolist painter Gustav Klimt, SAUVEREIGN’s ARCTIC 2 Legacy Gem comprises thousands of duo-coloured gold leaf fragments delicately applied onto a hand-burnished mirror gold surface. As each speck of gold leaf is manually applied at discretion of the artisan, the texture of each Gem transcends the dictation of lines and contours, revealing spectacular and varied nuances as each one is born.
The collective appearance of its carefully curated particles mimics the ever- changing shoreline of Hong Kong. Its sporadic composition is also reminiscent of drifting ice. Contemplating Klimt’s pictorial exploration of growth and decay, SAUVEREIGN’s ARCTIC 2 Legacy captures a transient topography, immortalised within the microcosm of each Gem.
Legacy
CUBIK
SAUVEREIGN’s CUBIK Legacy collection is inspired by the exploration of form and geometry that arose during the transition from Cubism to Purism in modern art history. Pioneered by important artists such as Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, the Cubism movement’s deconstructed representations reduced its subjects into geometric shapes and outlines. Its succeeding movement Purism, spearheaded by both artists and architects such as Le Corbusier, took interest in the geometry that existed within the subjects themselves.
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INFINITY II
SAUVEREIGN’s INFINITY collection is inspired by Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusuma, who creates works with repetitive patterns as a form of selftherapy for her obsessive neurosis. Each Gem is composed of rich and vibrant hand-mixed pigments with each colour block contoured by gold leaf outlines applied by hand. The crisp accuracy of the geometric shapes is a testament to superlative craftsmanship and technique, given the inherent curvature of the Gem’s surface. The INFINITY II collection features Gems in pastel colours and contrasting blocks, with a special selection comprising phosphorescent pigments. Its added glossy surface finishing both protects and enhances the exuberance of its youthful palette.
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INFINITY III
Developed from INFINITY II, the INFINITY III collection features spirited multicoloured geometric blocks. created using layers upon layers of pigment, taking the need for accuracy and meticulous technique to a whole other level. Each Gem comprises an elegant, matte surface finishing, which accentuates the depth of its colour as well as the vibrance of its gold leaf outlines. Velvety to the eye and smooth to the touch, the Gems are as if intricate oil paintings, coming together in precision and perfect harmony, both mesmerising and complex.
Classic
SIXTY-SIX
SAUVEREIGN’s SIXTY-SIX Collection is composed of mesmerising eccentric circles, forming a pattern reminiscent of the Arabic numeral ‘6’. Atop a rich and brilliantly hand-saturated base, gold leaf is masterfully applied by hand to create the motif of a woven rope. Detailed and delicate with high definition, this intricate technique perfectly captures the house’s meticulous and creative craftsmanship.
Classic
Broad Street I
The abstract minimal aesthetic of SAUVEREIGN’s BROAD STREET collection is inspired by the practice of legendary artist Ellsworth Kelly (1923-2015). BROAD STREET I features hard-edge colour fields in the iconic shapes of the house’s Gems, hand-painted with translucent strokes that complement its crisp silhouette. Thin lines of 24K gold leaf are layered to contour but not contain the forms. Their subtle luminescence, enhanced by the Gem’s glossy surface, lifts the flatness of colour, resulting in a buoyant and more harmonious composition.
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Broad Street II
BROAD STREET II features multiple as well as overlapping silhouettes that craft a relationship between form and colour. Handmade with a matte and silky texture, the pristinely even surface of each Gem recalls the texture of oil paintings, drawing focus toward the deep saturation of each shape, which are also contoured with slightly offset golf leaf outlines. Coming together and pulling apart, the collection’s light and animated compositions appear as if two figures engaged in a delicately choreographed dance.
