Maca Bernal Jewellery Artist
b.1982, El Salvador, Chile. Chilean national, resident of New Zealand since 2012, and a citizen since 2018, Macarena has a Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Arts from Finis Terrae University in Santiago, an Advanced Diploma in Jewellery Practice from MIT in Auckland, a Post Graduate Degree and a Master’s Degree from the Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin School of Arts.
This Visual Artist chooses Contemporary Jewellery as her medium for its wearability offers interactivity. In her work she explores alternative ideas of value in jewellery by capitalising on the bonds between jewellery and wearer, propounding jewellery as wearable forms of archive, or using it as a platform to make sociopolitical statements.
She has received the following awards in New Zealand:
- Fingers Gallery, Graduating Students Award, 2014.
- Objectspace Gallery, Annual Emerging Practice Award, 2016.
- "Kairangatira" Excellence award for outstanding achievement,
MIT Jewellery Department, 2016. - Molly Morpeth Canaday Awards 3D Finalist, 2018.
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Molly Morpeth Canaday Awards 3D Finalist, 2024.
Her work has shown in the following exhibitions:
-“The way of Matter”; Annual Emerging Practice Show, Objectspace Gallery, April 2016, Auckland, New Zealand.
-“International Graduate Show 2016” Galerie Marzee, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, August 2016.
-"Links", Solo show , Quoil Gallery, April 2017, Wellington , New Zealand.
-"Link Night", The National, August 2017, Christchurch, New Zealand.
-"LINK NITE", Muse Gallery, November 2017, Havelock North, New Zealand.
-"Marzee for Starters Show" Coda Museum, November 2017, January 2018, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands.
-"Marzee for Starters Show" Qade Art Fair, 7-11 February 2018, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
-"IWA:NZ Makers" curated by Peter Deckers, Frame Galleries, International Handwerkmesse, Jewellery Week, March 2018, Munich, Germany.
-"Marzee for Starters" Frame Galleries, International Handwerkmesse, Jewellery Week, March 2018, Munich, Germany.
-"These are a few of her favorite things. Jorunn Veiteberg’s jewellery collection" , Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum (National Museum of Decorative Arts and Design) , September 2018, Trondheim, Norway.
-The National at Frame Galleries, Handwerkmesse March 2019 Munich, Germany.
-“33rd edition of the Marzee International Graduate Show” Galerie Marzee, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, October 2019.
-"Creating with Kauri", The Kauri Museum, Matakohe, NZ Sept 2020
-"Signing In", Hanshake 6, Te Awaha, Wellington NZ, October 2020.
-"The Neck II" Craft ACT; Craft +Design Centre, Canberra, Australia, May 2021.
-“Paua; a Contemporary Jewellery Story”, The Dowse Museum, Lower Hutt, New Zealand, July 2022.
-“Guacha” Solo Show, Atelier, Nelson Jewellery Week, April 2023.
-“Crafting Hybrids”, Gallagher Academy of performing Arts, University of Waikato, New Zealand, June 2025.
-“Tribute to the IRD”, Lee Woodman Gallery, Nelson Jewellery Week, Nelson New Zealand, April 2025.
Her works can be found in the following Collections:
·Maria Jose van der Hoult, private jewellery collection, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Est 2018.
·Jorunn Veiteberg’s private jewellery collection, Copenhagen, Denmark. Est 2018.
·Musee des Arts Décoratives, permanent contemporary jewellery collection, Paris, France. Est 2018.
·Wendy Evans, private jewellery collection, Wellington, New Zealand. Est 2022.