Noon Passama

Noon Passama (Bangkok, 1983) is a jewellery designer based in the Netherlands, where she graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie (2010) and ArtEZ (2013). At the core of Passama’s practice is a continual reworking of jewellery archetypes, such as the chain and linking elements that underlie the discipline. With each element hand sculpted and connected, the shapes are informed by time and serenity. The process begins with exploring the potential of the material, where intuitive actions shape and refine the pieces. Noon Passama works across different genres of jewellery and collaborates between artistic fields exploring jewellery’s roles in different contexts.

0123456789 Bracelets, 2018
Photo: Elmer Driessen

Jury Report
Reflecting on current affairs in the field of jewellery, the jury formulated several tendencies that are somewhat connected. Diversity and inclusion are still of importance – there is still an under representation of artists of colour and artists from the Global South. Role models that represent this therefore play an important role within the field: they can encourage a younger generation to step in and tell their stories.

The jury also found it of importance that jewellery practitioners question the field of jewellery through their own work and that there is engagement in a dialogue on what jewellery is or can be. Connections with other disciplines can be essential in shaping new, diverse practices that critically examine the discipline of jewellery from within. Collaboration is also seen as a method to help a new generation of jewellery makers that struggle with the question of how to present their work and find audiences. There is often too little funding for the advancement of the field, so makers must often act as entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship raises several questions though: how to be a good entrepreneur without losing one’s own vision, narrative of aesthetics? How can practitioners merge entrepreneurship and artistic research?

Taking these urgencies in the field into account, the jury unanimously put Noon Passama forward as the recipient of the Francoise van den Bosch Award 2024. The jury regards Passama as an excellent role model for younger generations, collaborative practice and entrepreneurship.

The Jury
Tracy Steepy professor and Head of Department of the Jewelry + Metalsmithing program at Rhode Island School of Design
Kim Buck, jewellery designer, educator
Ben Lignel, curator, educator, publisher and maker
Chequita Nahar, jewellery designer, educator, curator
Nedda El-Asmar, jewellery designer, educator
Astrid Ubbink and Irma Foldenyi, board members (moderation)

Extra Button, edition 2018
Photo: Sam Walravens

Crush Necklace, 2022
Photo: Pichan Sujaritsatit

Images from the Françoise van den Bosch Collection
Acquisition Young Talent 2013:
Brooch “Portrait #6”
Brooch “Extra Button”
Donation 2021:
Bangle from the series “0123456789”