Bling Bling offers cultural critique as luxury heirloom—for the bold.
Bling Bling
Client
Chi Ha Paura…?
Design
Tjep.
Production
Tjep.
Materials
Gold-plated steel with textile cord.
Size
Approx. 8.9 x 8.5 x 1 cm.
Date:
2003, update: 2023
Collections:
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Design Museum Den Bosch, 's-Hertogenbosch
SFMOMA, San Fransisco
Museum of Arts and Design, New York
Powerhouse Museum, Sydney
Bling Bling by Tjep.
In an era of consumerism as modern religion, *Bling Bling* is a satirical medallion critiquing brand devotion. Created by Frank Tjepkema in 2003 for the 'Sense of Wonder' series, it layers 100 global logos—like Coca-Cola and Gucci—into a cruciform emblem of capital's timeless illusions.
From afar, it mimics an opulent cross; up close, gold-plated steel reveals perforated corporate icons. As critic Louise Schouwenberg noted: “From a distance, his piece resembled an opulently decorated cross. A closer look revealed paper-thin layers of gold-plated steel perforated to proclaim the symbolism of modern religion. Banal logos... tell the story that jewellery... has always told: the world of capital loves to wrap itself in the illusion of timeless beauty.”
Tjepkema quips: “This medallion is the most branded object in the world (hint: imagine the money you can save on brand clothes by wearing just this item).” Crafted via photochemical machining for burr-free precision, it fuses tech with commentary.
The Next Bling & Logos
Awarded the 2004 Dutch Design Award and Design Week cover, Bling Bling inspired The Next Bling architecture. In 2023, Tjepkema updated it with 60 more logos (e.g., Facebook, Netflix), releasing a new pendant and exhibition.
This evolves into the connected digital artwork Logos —a 2023 animated NFT series of 160 deconstructing/reassembling logos, dropped slowly over the year as the slowest NFT drop,bridging physical satire to blockchain fluidity.
From Tjep.’s Amsterdam studio, Bling Bling offers cultural critique as luxury heirloom—for the bold.