LONDON.- Harumi Klossowska de Rola is an artist and designer who creates powerful sculptural works and delicately crafted luxury jewellery inspired by the flora and fauna of the natural world. The exhibition of her work that began on October 6th will continue through to November 20th at the London Gallery of Robilant+Voena. Her first encounter with a collection of precious gems at the age of seven captivated her imagination and inspired a lasting fascination with jewels and the splendour of nature. Over the years she has developed a unique and sensitive rendering of creatures great and small, often fusing the aesthetic with the functional and creating, in her words, ‘something that you can wear, or you can exhibit on a shelf’.

The exhibition brings together recent works inspired by ancient cultures and by the majesty of the wild animals that Harumi encounters in the forests that surround her home in Switzerland. From regal bronze wolves to delicate butterflies detailed with sapphires and diamonds, Hayawan pays homage to the sublime grace and form of the creatures who inhabit the earth, presenting exquisitely crafted works that remind us of the complexity and wonder of the animal kingdom.

Among the sculptural works on display is the majestic Moquwaio, a serene wolf cast in bronze with intricate details of twenty-four carat gold. At almost two metres in height, this sculpture appears to stand sentinel with a commanding presence, its gaze and attention fixed upon some unseen spirit, its noble head held high. Another highlight of the exhibition is the extraordinary bench in the form of a graceful lioness, called Sekhmet, inspired by the Egyptian goddess of war and healing. The two editions of this feline sculpture, brimming with power and elegance, are gilded respectively in platinum and in Caplin gold, elevating the regal appearance of the works and underlining their associations with the divine.

The delicate beauty of plants and flora has a strong presence in the presentation alongside the animal kingdom. The impressive Cyperus Papyrus seems almost to defy gravity, its slender stems bowing upwards into explosions of wispy reeds that belie the strength of their bronze form. Another work, Tree with Single Bird,is an intricate example of the artist’s playful attentiveness to the natural world – the tiny bird, almost invisible at first among the twisting branches and occasional leaf, is a tribute to the songbirds that Harumi sees in the forests surrounding her home, chirping their joy at the dawn of a new morning.




Complementing the sculptural works are a range of exquisite pieces of jewellery, combining Harumi’s ambitious artistic creativity with her sublime skills as a designer of luxury decorative pieces. A delicate pair of butterfly earrings, entitled Apaturina Erminea, their wings luminous with rubies, sapphires and diamonds, is encased in a hand-crafted ivy wood box which enhances the shimmering beauty of the jewellery. Other works on display include a ring in the form of a wolf’s head, Canis Lupus Columbianus, carved from Ankole cow horn with 24 carat gold eyes that give a piercing, dazzling appearance.

Together, the works on display evoke the sacredness and beauty of the natural world. The animals of Harumi Klossowska de Rola are totemic entities which, like in shamanism, play a role as true masters capable of creating a bridge between nature and man, the visible and the invisible, the spirit and the earth.

Arbor
At two metres tall, the elegance of this artwork is heightened by the contrast between the slender trunk of the tree and its curving, almost playful, branches that form an orb at its summit. The understated style of the sculpture interplays with its imposing height, evoking the sublime calm of the forests that provide inspiration for the artist.

The delicate and individually-shaped leaves belie the strength of their bronze form and suggest the resilience of the flora of the natural world. As a naturally oxidising metal, bronze also gives the sculpture a life that will change in appearance over time, reflecting the growth and transformation inherent to all living beings. The unpredictability of these subtle changes is desired and wholly embraced by the artist, connecting to her understanding of the constant flux of nature.

Moquwaio
At almost two metres tall, the majestic Moquwaio, appears to stand sentinel with a commanding presence, its gaze and attention fixed upon some unseen spirit, its noble head held high. This serene wolf sculpture is cast in bronze with intricate details of twenty-four carat gold and takes inspiration from Nalawi, the tame wolf who lives alongside Harumi in her home in Switzerland, the eighteenth-century Grand Chalet de Rossinière. The artist has built up a mutual trust and respect with Nalawi, and Harumi's intimate knowledge of the lupine form from first-hand observation is masterfully captured in this mesmerising work.