04/09/2026
SUEDPFEIL mini & ARROW earring/piercing/brooch — Saskia Diez x J. MAYER H.
Südpfeil, J. MAYER H.’s monumental intervention for Berlin’s Humboldt Forum, is an arrow charged with multiple meanings. It evokes migration and global interconnectedness through the story of the Arrow Stork, questions colonial histories and cultural narratives, and simultaneously recalls Cupid’s arrow—a symbol not of violence, but of connection, affection and the possibility of new relationships.
Together, J. MAYER H. and Saskia Diez translate this powerful public artwork into two intimate objects.
The first is a faithful miniature of the original sculpture. Constructed like the monumental work itself and crafted from blackened brass, the arrow measures about six centimeters and can be mounted onto a wall in your home, bringing an offspring of the art intervention into a personal space.
The second distills the arrow into its essential gesture. Made from polished recycled sterling silver, it can be worn as a brooch, as an earring, or through other piercings. Reduced to a sign, the arrow becomes an open symbol—of direction, encounter, vulnerability and exchange.
Both objects transform the monument into something personal. What appears as a projectile is reimagined as an invitation: a gesture that points not towards conflict, but towards dialogue. Like Cupid’s arrow, it suggests that even the most forceful symbols can change their meaning—from weapon to sign, from confrontation to connection.
