BIOGRAPHY
Iris Merkle has lived and worked in Stuttgart, southern Germany, for more than 20 years. She studied jewelry design at Pforzheim‘s renowned School of Design and also at the University of Art and Design in Helsinki, Finland. After completion of her diploma in 2001, she ventured into the area of product design and advertising before returning five years later to her heart‘s desire: making jewelry.
In 2014 she received the „Design Art Craft“ award from the German state of Baden-Württemberg, one of Germany‘s top awards for innovative design. In 2015, she presented her works in New York City at the annual exhibition of contemporary jewelry at the MAD Museum of Arts and Design. She has run her own studio since 2007 and holds exhibitions at home and abroad.
PRIZES
2024 nominated State Award: Design Art Craft, Baden-Württemberg (Germany)
2017 GEDOK FormART-Prize (Germany)
2014 State Award: Design Art Craft, Baden-Württemberg (Germany)
2002 Honorable mention, State Award: Design Art Craft, Baden-Württemberg (Germany)
2001 Honorable mention, Cheongju Arts Center, Cheongju-City (Korea)
EXHIBITIONS (selection from the last 10 years)
2024 State Exhibition Design Art Crafts – Museum im Kleihues-Bau, Stuttgart
2024 TIPPING POINT – Project Space Oberwelt, Stuttgart
2023 LIMITS OF ENLIGHTENMENT – Project Space Oberwelt, Stuttgart
2023 WISHFUL THINKING – GEDOK Galerie, Stuttgart
2022 BADEN MEETS WÜRTTEMBERG – Arnoldsche weekend art gallery #12, Stuttgart
2022 State Exhibition Design Art Crafts, Karlsruhe
2021 PAINFUL HOPE – Gallery ALLIAGES, Lille (France)/ Madrid/ Munich
2020 Solo exhibition IRIS MERKLE – GEDOK Galerie Suttgart
2019 HEASUN KIM & IRIS MERKLE – Galerie Z, Stuttgart
2018/2019 HEART FAILURE, the 10th anniversary exhibition – Gallery ALLIAGES, Lille (France) / Munich / Athen / Madrid
2018 INSECTS – Galeria Alice Floriano, Porto Alegre (Brazil)
2018 WIE ES UNS GEFÄLLT – Galerie Z, Stuttgart
2017 GENIUS LOCI – Project Space Oberwelt, Stuttgart
2016 HO, HO, HO! – Gallerie Friends of Carlotta, Zürich (Switzerland)
2016 TISCHLEIN DECK DICH – Galerie Z, Stuttgart
2015 IRIS MERKLE, Art Jewelry & PETER BÖCK, Painting – Galerie Z, Stuttgart
2015 LOOT - Mad about jewelry, annual exibition – MAD | Museum of Arts and Design New York
2015 STERNTALER – Galerie Z, Stuttgart
COLLECTIONS
2023 Baden State Museum
SCHOLARSHIP
November 2018: Artist in Residence, Strzeminski Academy of Art Lodz, Poland
MEMBERSHIPS
since 2018 BBK – Bund Bildender Künstlerinnen
since 2014 BDK – Bund der Kunsthandwerker Baden-Württemberg
since 2010 GEDOK Stuttgart