I can think of many devotional gifts I have received in my life. Often, I keep them as souvenirs. They mostly live stuffed in a small box, covered in dust, and the lid barely fits anymore. I have kept apology notes from my ex-boyfriends; a letter from a close friend, trying to articulate feelings we hadn’t quite discovered yet- and the letter I wrote in return. Also, the foil from a chocolate rose I received from a boy I kissed in the underground car park of a Kmart.

Through the process of collecting souvenirs, Sav Mattyasovszky and Bella den Boogert examine how devotional objects can become representations of a relationship's value, and a physical confirmation of intent. Recreating and altering objects by casting, building, and engraving, they create sculptural translations and iterations of sentimental material – delving into how the transitory and intimate can become fixed and trapped within objects of desire

Sav Mattyasovszky (she/her) is an artist based in Tāmaki Makaurau. Sav primarily works with ceramic and cast metal, creating commemorative objects to set memories in a physical realm. She explores the blur of coming of age and uncertainty of memory. She completed her Master of Visual Arts from Auckland University of Technology in 2023 and currently works as a technician in the AUT Art & Design 3D Labs.

Bella den Boogert (they/them) is a multidisciplinary artist that works between the mediums of sculpture and printmaking. They explore the internet-driven culture of performance, self-presentation, and identity in the digital age, using text and found objects. They completed a Bachelor of Visual Art from AUT in 2025 and are currently studying a post-graduate degree in Visual Art at AUT.