Craft / “Fuse Glass Prize 2022”, Canberra Glassworks, Kingston, until September 25. Reviewed by MEREDITH HINCHLIFFE.
THIS is the International Year of Glass. Therefore, it is fitting that this prestigious prize is being shown at the Canberra Glassworks.
Initiated several years ago by the JamFactory in Adelaide, the prize is funded by several philanthropists who are passionate about glass.
Let’s be parochial, and state at the top that the winner this year is Matthew Curtis, who is based in Queanbeyan. Curtis is inspired by the minutia of architectural structures in nature. His winning work, titled “Margin”, is in blown tinted glass which has also been carved. It sits on an aluminium base.
The work curves gently, and five fields of tinted glass shapes lean into the curves. It is a complex work, showing Curtis’ skill and knowledge.
Drew Spangenberg is showing a group of vessels titled “Curvilinear Ensemble”. The five complementary vessels fit together, both in form and colour. The clear, pale glass objects in different hues of amber and pink, are deceptively simple. The sides of each element of this composition curve, and form sharp lines, at the base and the top. I found this a very pleasing work.
Many exhibitors have gained experience and knowledge at the Canberra School of Art and Design. Janice Vitkovsky began her studies in 1999 and also completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours) (Glass) in 2005 at the ANU. “Formation”, a work that hangs on the wall, expresses a sense of motion and impermanence presenting a view of navigation through time and space as a fluid dimension. The surface is criss-crossed with vertical and diagonal lines, which flow over small marks that could be waves, clouds, or depressions in the earth. Coloured blocks of glass add to the sense of movement.
“Fuse” has two sections: an Emerging Category and an Established Category. Michelle Stewart – exhibiting in the former category – has an Advanced Diploma in Engineering (Jewellery) from Melbourne Polytechnic and a Bachelor of Fine Art (Gold and Silversmithing) (Hons) from RMIT University, also has a commitment to a minimal impact practice, which translates to a considered approach to making and materials.
Her work utilises recycled materials, generally glass, and often she uses the ‘pâte de verre’ method for her glassworking. She is exhibiting two “Carbon Chains” in recycled bottle glass. The artist points out that if these chains were to be worn, they would be a constant reminder of the precarity of nature and how human activities affect the balance.
Canberra Glassworks has played a major part in developing the careers of many of the exhibitors. The catalogue accompanying the show includes an essay by Eva Czernis-Ryl who has written about the ways in which numerous artists working in glass coped in the intervening years between 2020 when covid struck just as the Fuse Glass Prize was accepting entries and that year the exhibition was reimagined in the digital space. The advantage of this, of course, was that the exhibition was exposed to a wider international audience. But nothing beats seeing the works live, and it is fortunate that we are able to see this outstanding exhibition in Canberra.
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Local look at 'outstanding' glass works - Canberra CityNews
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