Mr & Mrs Cook

Mr & Mrs Cook

Jeweller Octavia Cook lovingly illustrates her parents through the acrylic cameo form which has become a mainstay of her practice. With the choppy bob of her mother and the collared shirt of her father, Cook manages to convey to us her ‘mum & dad-ness’ without needing to fill in the outlines.

A graduate of Unitec Institute of Technology, Cook’s work reinterprets traditional jewellery forms, questioning their associations with sentimentality and value. Cameo jewellery has ancient origins, but reached new heights of popularity in the Victorian era. Cook’s cameos offer a wearable format to memorialise or to commemorate. Her ability to distil character into a simple silhouette has built the artist a loyal group of collectors who entrust her to portray beloved family members or mourned pets.

Mr & Mrs Cook was made for Cook’s 2005 exhibition, The Family Jewels. Cook created portraits of herself, her sisters and her parents, the latter mimicking the double portrait style of a royal wedding souvenir. These works would become part of the ‘Cook & Co’ dynasty, in which Cook has absorbed illustrious personages such as James Cook and Queen Elizabeth II into her family tree alongside her biological relatives, depicting their profiles in her signature cameo style. With The Family Jewels, Cook wanted to see if her humble family portraits would be appealing pieces to wear or exhibit. Works from this show have been acquired by the Govett-Brewster and other institutions across the country, enshrining her family’s image in Aotearoa art history—just as Cook intended.

— Jane Groufsky, 2023