linda van niekerk ― women walking tall

A collaboration between one of Tasmania’s most exciting jewellers, and some of the island’s best-known women, has resulted in an incredible exhibition – Walking Tall – which opens this Friday.

Linda liaised with 21 brilliant Tasmanians from all sectors of the creative arts, designing a piece of bespoke jewellery for each. These recipients include actress Marta Dusseldorf, author Heather Rose, media identity Judy Tierney and philanthropist Julia Farrell. As Linda explains: “This is still very much my exhibition, but it honours those women who ‘walk tall’ in their own right. I wanted to create something that spoke to them individually and reflected their character.”

Bold designs that draw heavily on the natural world are Linda’s trademark, with one of the exhibition pieces being a “bold necklace to fit the woman’s bold personality.” But, Walking Tall also takes Linda’s jewellery into uncharted territory. There are delicate dew-drop earrings for the lady “who walks tall with a powerful quiet presence”, a silver seagrass ring for another who is passionate about diving and jewellery that incorporates driftwood.

Linda also teams up with six well-known Tasmanian female artists for Walking Tall, crafting bespoke pieces for each to be exhibited alongside one of their new artworks.

All the jewellery and art in the exhibition is for sale.

Handmark’s Walking Tall exhibition opens at 5.00pm on Friday February 19 and runs until March 9.