ABOUT
Created by Joana Pires, Pinah was born of her passion for jewellery, shapes and forms, but especially from her curiosity about making wearable objects.
With a background in theatre, Joana constantly reimagines the world around her, which translates into her pieces that she calls 'experiments to wear'.
For her, creating a piece of jewellery always starts with an idea and a meaning, with the thought of what she wants to say with it. Then, after a concept is established, she begins experimenting with the best way of transforming her idea into necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and rings.
Using different materials is a crucial part of the process. Silver, gold, iron, stainless steel, paper, cardboard, leather, resin, clay, found objects… Anything goes.
From start to finish, all her pieces are handmade through a fluid, intuitive and offbeat approach to making jewellery; her final pieces are raw, playful, experimental and, most importantly, wearable.
This process became the signature of Pinah jewellery, with no two pieces ever being the same, making each and every creation truly unique.
biography
Joana Pires is a self-taught jewellery artist who uses mixed media to create her pieces.
Brazilian, based in London, UK, Joana graduated in both Drama and Cinema. She spent over 12 years as an actress and producer before creating Pinah and becoming a full-time maker.
Her work is experimental, and her final pieces are raw, playful and wearable.
Through her pieces, Joana wants to explore the possibilities of what a piece of jewellery can be and what story it can tell.
FROM JOANA
Let me start telling you my story by: I was 40 when I decided what I wanted to do when I grew up.
I have always loved art. Any form of art: painting, films, photos, theatre, books, architecture… I used to flip through my mum's architecture magazines when I was 10, daydreaming about floorplans and thinking of how interesting Oscar Niemeyer and his concrete buildings full of swings were. I was also quite a big fan of Miró and was so happy when my grandmother gave me a T-shirt printed with one of his paintings. And I still remember the first time I learnt about Tarsila do Amaral.
I am saying all of that so you can get an idea that I was really into any artistic expression from a very young age.
However, I was always the audience. My sister was the artistic one. She played the flute, took painting classes, had drawing books, and many pencils and brushes… I was the sporty one who couldn't even draw a simple square.
WHO IS PINAH?
Pinah is the character who gives me the freedom to experiment with things that I would otherwise restrict myself to.
Creating my pieces under another identity gives me more courage and protects me from the vanity of my ego.
It is a crazy thing; on the one hand, it is me creating, experimenting, doing… everything comes from a very personal perspective… so yeah, it is me. But at the same time, I need Pinah to express myself.
Well, isn’t it what we all do? Create different masks to be able to move ourselves to different situations?
Curiosity: Pinah is my great-grandmonther’s name. She had the most beautiful ring, and I was very young (maybe 4 or 5 years old) and fascinated by that adornment on her finger. So, I like to think that she and her ring were my first contact with the amazing jewellery world.