ASSASSINATION – Voyage to Paradise, Volume 1

2023-2024

The project "Assassination – Voyage to Paradise" focuses on the past and present life journey of pearls. It is divided into three chapters:
"The Kills" (the assassination), "The Voyage," and "The Paradise."

Speculatively exploring pearls and other materials related to them, such as Pinctada margaritifera (pearl oyster) and coral, the works celebrate materiality. They delve deeply into the myth of a life journey crossing continents, the dramatic moments, and the undeniable beauty inherent in pearls.

The first chapter of works from this project partially debuted at Vana-Võromaa Kultuurikoda in the exhibition 'In Loving Hands: Combining the Past with the Future - Jaanus Samma & Hansel Tai' in May 2023. Part of the work also debuted as the cover of Metalsmith Magazine Volume 44/2024-1 published by the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG).


Booklet Hansel Tai: Assassination – Voyage to Paradise, Volume 1