Manchetknoop van Nederlandse zilveren munten c. 1944 - 1950

Here we see a pair of cufflinks made from Dutch silver coins, crafted by A.J. Fibbe, but the exact date remains a mystery. It's funny, isn't it? Taking something as base as money and turning it into something precious, something decorative. The coins themselves, worn smooth by years in circulation, gain a new life in this upcycling. I find myself thinking about the surfaces: those delicate ridges along the edges, how the artist was working with metal. It's a completely different process than pushing paint around but, in a way, it's very similar to the way I think about my own work. It's this play of chance, of embracing what the material wants to do, and seeing where it leads you. These cufflinks remind me of Duchamp's "readymades," or even Picasso using found materials to make sculptures; how art can be a constant conversation with the everyday, a way of seeing beauty and value in the unexpected. It’s not always about what the artist adds, but what they see, what they choose to highlight.