Michaela Pegum

The crease known as the ‘heart line’, found towards the top of the palm near the fingers, is often the deepest fold. This part of the hand, with its historical allusions to our emotional lives and complex depth of form - unique in every person - is what my collection centers upon. These pieces honour the uniqueness of this personal mark, alongside the way our individual worlds combine to create the shared space of love.

Michaela’s practice is an exploration of felt experience, garnered through the deeply embodied relationships we form with the natural world. Her Pieces of Eight collection, 'Inner Traces', explores human relationships and is centered on the crease in the hand called the ‘heart line’. Read more in an interview here.

Based in Melbourne, Michaela has a background in contemporary dance and choreography, a Bachelor of Design (Honours), UTS, a Bachelor of Fine Arts (First Class Honours) Gold & Silversmithing, RMIT, and a PhD in Art, RMIT. She is the recipient of a number of awards including the National Contemporary Jewellery Award, the Victorian Craft Award - Lynne Kosky Jewellery Encouragement Award, and the Fresh! Pieces of Eight Award. She exhibits both locally and internationally, and her work is held in a number of public and private collections including the National Gallery of Victoria.