STORIES FROM THE ATELIER: HOPO STUDIO - WINNER OF BAGUE EXTRAORDINAIRE AWARD
it is always a pleasure but not an easy task to choose one ring for the Bague Extraordinaire Award.
there were 20 presenting artists who exhibited their work in Encoded Bodies, part of Code & Craft, the Cluster Craft showcase in November 2025, directed by Ema Marinova and curated by Valeria Del Vacchio. after careful consideration, i chose abigail’s ring as it contained the key points that i believe make up what a Bague Extraordinaire should have: uniqueness, creativity, beauty, and of course, that certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ aspect that makes me look twice.
in this case, the mix of mechanical + organic details was a defining moment, as was the sense of movement and transformation within the piece. i love how abigail brings together the old and the new, creating something that feels both rooted in tradition and wonderfully futuristic.
about the artist
thu huong nguyen, aka abigail, is a contemporary jeweler, metalsmith, and illustrator currently based in hanoi, vietnam. after graduating with a bachelor of interior design (honours) from RMIT university in 2022, thu huong traveled to adelaide to pursue a master of design (contemporary art) at the university of adelaide.
her work revolves around the use of industrial mechanics and movement to explore themes of technology, body dysmorphia, nostalgia, and the social and economic changes taking place in her country and in contemporary society. she is particularly interested in mechanizing organic forms (including the human body, animals, and plants) to reflect on the rapid encroachment of technology on human evolution, cultural heritage, and social values.
by merging the old with the new, thu huong seeks to express both her desire to preserve vietnam's traditional values and her willingness to embrace the unpredictable future of an ever-changing world.
process
my process begins with observing and documenting everything around me, especially in my hometown of hanoi, vietnam. the city is in the midst of an industrial and technological revolution. everywhere, there are construction sites and machines building, repairing, or transforming something.
in these machines, i see a beautiful simplicity that is easy to understand. life has always felt like a complex equation to me, and the only way i can simplify it is by turning it into a mechanical system.
tactile movement plays a major role in my work, allowing each piece to open, close, collapse, unfold, and transform into different forms. by inviting people to interact with these movements, i hope to create a sense of curiosity and fascination.
my interest in mechanics began during my interior design degree. at the time, i sketched machines and collected instruction manuals from my uncle, who is a mechanic. i experimented with combining different mechanical components to create opening and closing mechanisms.
however, it wasn't until i met the wonderful jeweler katie collins, a lecturer at RMIT, and discovered her practice that i began to imagine turning machine mechanics into wearable objects. i started modeling my designs in 3d, then hand-cutting, soldering, and casting the pieces together to create new forms of machines.
my work is now moving toward combining mechanical structures with organic and abstract forms, particularly the human body. i am interested in how we might transform in the future. this new direction will be presented in two exhibitions at nexus gallery and pop gallery in adelaide, australia, on september 30.
about apollo and daphne (winning ring)
apollo and daphne is a very important work for me because it was the first sculpture ring i ever made.
at the time, i was looking for inspiration for how to mechanize organic forms when i came across an art book called baroque. i was immediately drawn to bernini's sculpture of apollo chasing daphne as she transforms into a laurel tree. the beauty of the white marble, together with the story of control, transformation, and the fight for freedom, stayed with me.
in my version, daphne is represented by white marble and the laurel tree: elegant and growing upward, but still trying to break free. apollo is represented by yellow brass: strong, solid, and impossible to ignore.
even the opening and closing movement of the ring reflects daphne's struggle to escape his grip.
trivia
my studio's name - hopo - simply means “hot pot studio.” i named it after my mum's hot pot restaurant. it was the place that raised me and made it possible for me to go to art school.
without my mum and that restaurant, i don't think i would have become an artist or a jeweler.
here are a few more pieces from abigail's body of work:
