Acclaimed metal artist Adi Toch on her unique commission from the V&A.

A richly illustrated limited edition book, Place to Place takes its name from acclaimed artist metalsmith Adi Toch’s golden vessel, commissioned for the Gilbert Collection at the V&A in response to the restitution of an Anatolian gold ewer.

As Edmund de Waal puts it in his foreword: ‘in creating this work she is acting as an ethnographer, a mapper of the space left behind by this return of an object to its place of origin’. She joins us to discuss her artistic process and the philosophy behind her work, which can also be seen in New York’s Jewish Museum, the Museum of London and the national museums of Scotland and Wales.

This event will last approximately 1 hour, without an interval.

About the Speaker:

Adi Toch is an artist metalsmith living and working in London. She is a lecturer at the RCA and has taught and exhibited around the world. Her work is held in major private and public collections including the V&A Museum in London, The Crafts Council, The Goldsmiths’ Company, the Museum of London, Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge, Birmingham Museum, National Museums Scotland, National Museum Wales, Ulster Museum Belfast and The Jewish Museum New York.

Toch was a finalist in the first Loewe Craft Prize and won prestigious awards for her work including a Gold Award from The Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Council UK and The European Prize for Applied Arts, 2018. In 2021 she was the recipient of an important commission by the V&A Gilbert Trust to create a response to the restitution of a historic gold ewer from The Gilbert Collection to Turkey. Her artwork Place to Place is on permanent display at The Gilbert Galleries, V&A Museum, London.

Alice Minter joined the V&A as Curator of the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection in July 2018. Prior to that, she worked for 10 years at Sotheby’s London as specialist in ceramics, silver and gold boxes. Alice has co-curated a ground-breaking display: Concealed Histories: Uncovering the story of Nazi Looting Art (6 December – 10 January 2021) and is now leading a complete refurbishment and expansion of the Gilbert Galleries, due to open in late 2025. Alice is co-founder of a research project about the V&A and its Jewish Heritage, the outcome of which will be addressed during a public  symposium in November 2024.