Goldsmith, Object and Jewellery Artist/Designer
Bernhard Stimpfl-Abele is a contemporary goldsmith, object and jewellery artist/designer, born 1983 in Linz, Austria. After graduating as a goldsmith at the HTL Steyr in 2003, he studied and worked within the field of contemporary jewellery and objects in Italy, Spain and Sweden, where in 2010, he graduated with a master degree in jewellery and objects at the Konstfack university of Stockholm in 2010. 2012, he founded the gallery café “Parallell“ Stockholm, Sweden. Between 2013 and 2014, Stimpfl-Abele was teaching goldsmithing, object art and design at the design studio by Azza Fahmy, Cairo, Egypt, which he also played a keyhole in building during that time. The work of Stimpfl-Abele has been shown at exhibitions and shows in numerous countries around the world.
The artist established his base in Freudenthal near the Austrian Attersee at the end of 2024 – a place closely linked to his origins, the history of the former Freudenthal glass factory and the cultural heritage of the Stimpfl-Abele family.
Education:
2015/16
Degree in forestry, (Forstwart und Forstfacharbeiter)
Forestry school, Waidhofen an der Ybbs
2010
Master of fine arts in crafts – contemporary jewellery and objects
Konstfack University Stockholm, Sweden
2008-10
M.A. Program under Ruudt Peters and Karen Pontoppidan
Konstfack University Stockholm, Sweden
2007-08
Period of independent work
Barcelona, Spain
2006-07
Tutorial year with Peter Bauhuis
working in the own workshop, Barcelona, Spain
2004-06
Alchimia School of Contemporary Jewellery
Specialization course with Prof. Manuel Vilhena
Specialization course with Prof. Manfred Bischoff
Florence, Italy
2004-07/08
Summer Academy Salzburg with Johanna Dahm and Patrick Muff
Salzburg, Austria
2004
2 month practical training with Sven Boltenstern
Vienna, Austria
2002
1 month practical training with Franz-Joseph Baischer
Mondsee, Austria
1999-03
HTL Steyr – Goldsmith and Metal Design
Steyr, Austria
Curriculum Vitae
Current
Artist and Designer at his own company Abele Jewellery & Objects
Freudenthal, Austria
2017
Founder of his own company Abele Jewellery & Objects
Austria
2014/15
Teaching and living
Cairo, Egypt
2013/14
Living and working in Cairo as an art and design teacher at the first jewellery school in the middle east, the design studio by Azza Fahmy
Cairo, Egypt
2012
Founder of the gallery café workspace Parallell
Stockholm, Sweden
2010
Founder of the company abele contemporary jewellery
Stockholm, Sweden
Bracelets, Rings and brooches
Custom Jewellery
Object Art and Jewellery
Organic Metal
My work, Organic Metal, explores the relationship between the old, the new, and the ambivalence in between.
I aim to preserve or perhaps capture a snapshot of the ageing process: a specific moment in the life and decay of organic materials, primarily bread and bread dough. These organic materials also form the foundation of my jewellery pieces.
I see parallels between the way these materials change and the way we, as human beings, grow and develop. I allow my work to evolve naturally through the interaction of different elements. From a distance, it almost resembles evolution itself, revealing the traces of a process that has already taken place. At the same time, it can offer a brief glimpse into the future.
Object Art
Fruit Explosions
Sculptures
Ghost Forms
When the Old becomes the New:
In his latest work, contemporary jewellery and object artist Bernhard Stimpfl-Abele explores how the new emerges through the transformation of old forms and traditions.
The artist draws on historical sketches created by the glassmakers of the former Freudenthal Glassworks and on the legacy of the historic glass factory itself. These symbols of the old are reinterpreted through reflection, allowing them to become the new from a different perspective.
The mirrored stainless-steel surfaces of the sculptures reflect their surroundings, blending into the landscape while subtly distorting what they reflect. Through this interaction, the objects appear alive, constantly changing, and revealed in an entirely new light.
A reflection presents the new in two different ways: on the one hand, it may appear to be a simple copy; on the other, it offers a new perspective that transforms our perception of the original.
For the artist, art is not primarily about the old, the new, or even the timeless. It is about life itself. Old and new are not opposites—they belong together. Rather than judging one as better than the other, they form a continuous process of transformation. In this sense, reflection becomes both a metaphor for the new and an artistic medium in its own right.
Object Art
Bread Investigation
Object Art and Jewellery
Transformations
“The Rebirth Of The Tool” – A tool is far more complex in its nature and identity than it may first appear.
In this body of work, contemporary jewellery and object artist Bernhard Stimpfl-Abele explores the transformation of traditional glassmaking tools through the language of contemporary jewellery and object art. His aim is to reveal the tool in a new light by uncovering its hidden identities. Rather than remaining a purely functional object, the tool can acquire a new life. It is reborn as jewellery while retaining the character, memory, and spirit of the tool it once was. The story of this transformation is equally important. Every finished piece invites the viewer to imagine its own narrative. Through observation and imagination, each object becomes the beginning of a new story. The following example illustrates the transformation of an ordinary pair of scissors into a piece of jewellery.
Transformation Process
- Original scissors
Life of Scissors
A glass maker cuts broken pieces of glass into circular shapes to create a necklace for his mother.
Identity of the Scissors
Tool, Functional, Ordinary, Inanimate
- Original scissors with a golden screw
Life of Scissors
What a beautiful gesture. Surprise, suddenly the scrum of the scissors turns to gold!
Identity of the Scissors
Tool, Functional, Distinctive
- Original scissors with a golden screw and heat – formed handles melted down and stretched out by heat or fire
The Life of Scissors
The glass maker’s mother learns that her son is making a necklace especially for her. Her heart melts – and so do the handles of the scissors. Surprise!
Identity of the Scissors
Tool, Functional, Distinctive, Alive
- The scissors become a necklace the golden screw, and the elongated, heat-shaped handles are combined with a pendant, transforming the scissors into a necklace.
The Life of the Scissors
Who would have taught that scissors could become something more than a tool? The glass maker chooses to honour them by transforming them into the necklace he gives to his mother, instead of using the broken peaces of glass which remain lifeless.
Jewellery, Tool, Functional, Istinctive, Alive.
World Youth Forum 2018
Heart Of Bread
Ingredients:
2.500g. austrian flour,
2.500g. egyptian flour,
Water,
Salt.
Basic food,
Food of life,
Brings us together at the same table,
Promotes communication
To share,
A necessity and not a luxury
Gallery Café Stockholm
Parallell
Base And Cultural Heritage
Freudenthal
News from Freudenthal
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