Suzanne Syz, a Geneva-based luxury jewelry designer and art collector, invited LA contemporary artist Alex Israel to visualize the jewelry box as a sculpture. Syz has been designing jewelry for 15 years. Since 2016 with John Armleder, this will be Syz’s second project in the series.
“Upon discovering Alex’s work in Miami in 2011, I experienced an immediate connection. It brought me back to my first visit to LA, and to the strong attraction to American culture that I’ve always felt. Hollywood, entertainment and the movies are of course a big part of that, but there’s also the products, the packaging, and the candy that’s inspired so much of my work. When Alex told me about the importance of frozen yogurt to him, in his life, I knew that we had found the perfect point of overlap. I am thrilled by this project, and honored to call Alex a collaborator. I’m proud not only of the work we’ve accomplished, but also of my friendship with Alex,” stated Suzanne Syz.
Curtesy of Caterina Monda
The anticipated collaboration is made up of five original jewelry pieces by Syz. A Frozen Yogurt jewelry box will contain the jewelry pieces that is sculpted by Israel; each Frozen Yogurt box will be painted ceramic and hand blown glass.
A trompe-l’oeil wallpaper, created by Israel, for the design of the project for Syz’s exhibition booths for at the Art Monaco (Moaco), Design Miami (Basel), PAD (London) and the Salon Art + Design (New York).
Curtesy of Suzanne Syz and Alex Israel
“Suzanne Syz, from the very beginning, has been a great supporter of my work. We share a love of all things pop, and also a love of sugar and sweets. Frozen yogurt has been an important part of my life since childhood, when my father opened a neighborhood frozen yogurt shop in LA. From my conversations with Suzanne, it became clear that a jewelry box is not only a place to store jewels, but also a vessel for the storage of great memories. The collaboration was inspired by The Bigg Chill, my marble and styrofoam sculpture of frozen yogurt named after my father’s shop, and my memories of hanging out there almost every day after school,” stated Alex Israel.
Curtesy of Caterina Monda
