I identify with the cosmos /  by Mirena Rhee

I see myself within the context of billions of years of being something else, a portion of my molecules and particles started with the beginning of this universe. I was built over the millennia by various stars black holes and whatever other phenomena and was put together as a being to live on earth for over 100 years then I will dissipate again into the cosmos and will become whatever.

It is also possible that on a very fundamental level when we go beyond the particles and into all the quantum fields and such, it is possible that we are even much more permanent than just this universe.

I truly feel pretty expanded on a daily basis and it's difficult for me when many humans identify with a portion of molecules here and now. I do believe that life is a very very precious and very special experience and there are special properties of our bodies that give rise to new life. That is really awesome.

Also, it's possible that everything is life and we're just not there yet to recognize it. In some schools of thought everything is special, in some ways of thinking every tiny living being is special.

It is important we recognize we are much bigger than ourselves. We know it technically but we need to apply it daily and it needs to become ingrained in our thinking. And this needs to be an integral part of education. Kids need to be taught to identify with the cosmos rather than with any particular human formation.

Reason for Being /  by Mirena Rhee

Salvador Dalí, 1959

Raison d'être

Paladin of a new Renaissance, I too refuse to be confined. My art encompasses physics, mathematics, architecture, nuclear science -the psycho-nuclear, the mystico-nuclear- and jewelry -not paint alone.

My jewels are a protest against emphasis upon the cost of the materials of jewelry. My object is to show the jeweler's art in true perspective -where the design and craftsmanship are to be valued above the material worth of the gems, as in Renaissance times.

Design and Inspiration

In jewels, as in all my art, I create what I love. In some you will note an architectonic sense -as you will in certain of my paintings; again logarithmic law is evident; again the interrelation of spirit and matter; of time and space.

On the relationship of time and space

Awareness of the colligation of time and space entered my consciousness in childhood. Yet my invention of the "melted watch" -first in oil and later, in 1950, in gold and precious stones- evoked divided opinions; approval and understarding; skepticism and disbelief.

Today, in American schools, my "melted watch" is presented as a prophetic expression of the fluidity of time ... the indivisibility of time and space. The speed of modern travel -space travel- confirms this conviction. Time is fluid; not rigid.

On the ascription of human characteristics to things not human

Anthropomorphic subjects appear and reappear in my jewels. I see the human form in trees, leaves, animals; the animal and vegetable in the human. My art -in paint, diamonds, rubies, pearls, emeralds, gold, chrysoprase- shows the metamorphosis that takes place; human beings create and change. When they sleep, they change totally -into flowers, plants, trees. In Heaven comes the new metamorphosis. The body becomes whole again and attains perfection.

On the frivolous character of certain Dalí jewels

Delusive! The Dalí jewels are totally serious. I am pleased if my jeweled telephone earrings bring a smile. A smile is a pleasing thing. But these earrings, as with all my jewels, are serious. The earrings express the ear, symbol of harmony and unity. They connote the speed of modern communication; the hope and danger of instantaneous exchange of thought.

On the Collection

My collection of jewels, brought together by The Owen Cheatham Foundation, will be, ineluctably, of historic significance.

To history, they will prove that objects of pure beauty, without utility but executed marvelously, were appreciated in a time when the primary emphasis appeared to be upon the utilitarian and the material.

Freed of materialism and serving a philanthropic purpose, the Dalí jewels are a new Ambassador for America -to Russia, to Europe, to all the world; a symbol of the cosmogonic unity of our century.

The jeweled pieces -ornaments, medals, crosses, objets d'art- you find in this book were not conceived to rest soullessly in steel vaults. They were created to please the eye, uplift the spirit, stir the imagination, express convictions.

Without an audience, without the presence of spectators, these jewels would not fulfill the function for which they came into being. The viewer, then, is the ultimate artist. His sight, heart, mind -fusing with and grasping with greater or lesser understanding the intent of the creator- gives them life.

Mom /  by Mirena Rhee

Antoaneta Marinova Rikeva - A Life Filled with Hard Work and Devotion

Engineer Antoaneta Marinova Rikeva was born on January 16, 1939, in Veliko Tarnovo, into a prominent family.

Her mother, Mara Rikeva, came from an entrepreneurial family in Gabrovo, while her father, Marin Rikev, was a long-serving municipal councilor and secretary of the Commercial Association in Veliko Tarnovo.

She loved to talk about the lavish environment she grew up in and share stories about her grandfathers’ businesses and her grandmothers’ industriousness.

At the age of four, she lost her biological mother and was lovingly raised by her stepmother, Rena, with care and discipline. She grew up as a bright and cheerful child, roller-skating, playing the piano, participating in basketball, and excelling in school, where she was one of the top students in her class.

In high school, she met her future husband, Hristo.

She graduated with honors from her high school in Veliko Tarnovo in 1956.

She then applied to the University of Forestry in Sofia, where she was admitted to the Forestry program.

In 1960, she married Hristo, and the couple lived in Sofia, pursuing their higher education. They welcomed their firstborn son, Nikolay, with great love.

In 1962, she successfully graduated as an engineer specializing in forestry.

After the family returned to Veliko Tarnovo, Antoaneta began working at the patent office in the Development and Implementation Base at DMZ "Chervena Zvezda" in the town of Debelets.

After the birth of her daughter, Mirena, in 1970, she began studying German and moved to Germany to further her education.

There, she completed a degree in Patent Engineering at Humboldt University in Berlin. She deeply respected German discipline and precision, which she applied throughout her life.

After returning to Bulgaria, she worked as a patent engineer and eventually became the head of the patent office at the Development Base in Debelets.

In 1985, she returned to her first profession as a forestry engineer, joining the "Buynovtsi" Forestry Enterprise, where she was part of a team responsible for forest fund inventory.

Later, she worked in the Research and Development Department of DSO "Local Industry" in Veliko Tarnovo, where she eventually retired.

In 1990, she founded the company "Antrik" and dedicated herself to her private business, providing technical information and patent searches for new product development, as well as translating technical documentation for machinery and equipment from German. Through this work, she supported her entire family.

In her free time, she engaged in various projects, such as taking weaving courses. She had a great passion for agriculture and purchased a plot of land to cultivate. She dreamed of owning a ranch and producing goods.

At the same time, she devoted herself to caring for her stepmother, Rena, with dedication.

She later spent ten years living and working in Sofia in various fields while also caring deeply for her sister, Danche.

In 2020, she returned to her childhood home in Veliko Tarnovo. Until her final breath, she remained deeply faithful, fearless, and steadfast.

Rest in peace, Mom.