About Artist
Clarissa Long is an artist based in Vancouver, British Columbia, practicing on Coast Salish Territory. She holds a BFA in Jewellery and Metalsmithing from NSCAD University. Her work has been featured in prestigious international exhibitions, including Talente in Munich, Germany and the Beijing International jewellery Exhibition in China. Recognized for her innovative approach, Clarissa has been a finalist in Western Living magazine’s Designer of the Year and past winner of the Niche Awards.
An active advocate for the contemporary art jewellery community, Clarissa teaches in the Lasalle College jewellery diploma program and has served as Chair of Exhibitions on the Vancouver Metal Arts Association board. Her curatorial work includes notable exhibitions such as 'The Maker's Mark' at Burrard Arts Foundation and 'Disrupt' at the Craft Council of British Columbia.
Growing up mixed race has shaped my understanding of contrasts—between the natural and artificial, the old and the new, the familiar and the foreign. My work navigates these intersections, drawing on unconventional materials and techniques to challenge assumptions. I seek to shift perspectives, encouraging a deeper appreciation of things often overlooked or discarded.
Inspired by fleeting, transitional moments where reality feels fluid and uncertain, I create pieces that capture this sense of in-betweenness. These moments, where experiences and perceptions shift, reflect my own navigation between different cultural landscapes. My work inhabits this space, transforming industrial remnants into wearable objects that challenge the boundary between waste and value. By repurposing these materials, I invite a reconsideration of how we engage with the world around us, questioning the constant cycle of consumption and disposal.
My use of plastics and polystyrenes is a reflection of their endurance and resistance to decay. Far from being disposable, I see these materials as lasting and adaptable, qualities that inform how I work with them. By reshaping them into jewelry, I explore the idea of permanence in a world driven by impermanence.
As my practice grows, it becomes more personal, reflecting my own journey of reconciling contrasts and finding balance. For me, creating is a way to explore these boundaries—pushing and pulling between ideas, materials, and forms. The act of creation serves as a form of communication - a way to navigate and express the complexities of my own narrative. My work invites viewers into this delicate space, where meaning emerges from the interplay of material, memory, and perception.
