When I organised the first edition of SHE BLADES in Vienna, Austria in November 2024, I didn't know any of the women knife-makers featured on this site.

Yet, as I began connecting with them and their creations gradually arrived at the gallery, it quickly became clear that SHE BLADES would become much more than just a beautiful exhibition.

Beyond promoting female artists, my goal is to highlight the feminine principle - “the YIN” - in a highly “YANG” infused domain. Embracing the feminine principle doesn’t mean decorating knife handles with flowers or painting blades pink. Far from it. It’s about prioritising art, beauty, creation, and collaboration over competition and the relentless pursuit of performance.

Such an initiative might seem trivial or idealistic in today’s challenging world. Yet, as they say in Nepal: “When the cities burn, artists must light the way*.” This saying reflects a timeless truth - chaos and destruction inevitably give way to creativity in art, design, music, writing, healing practices…

By championing art and collaboration over competition and destruction, we contribute to shaping a better future for ourselves and our children - a future rooted in beauty and creation.

Stay sharp,

Pola

*This quote is often attributed to Toni Morrison, American novelist and editor, though it's a paraphrase of her actual words. In a 2004 interview, she said: “this is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilisations heal.”