VisitArtist talks

Penny Byrne is an artist who utilises a variety of mediums to create sculptural works that at times elicit visceral responses from viewers. She is concerned with the state of the world and our place in it. Her works ask us to consider where we stand and how we feel, never preaching, but rather gently guiding us to a deeper understanding of our times. She is not afraid to tackle the big issues head on, often with wry humour and wit, and always with a deeply considered and intelligent compassion. Born in Mildura in regional Australia in 1965, she now lives and works in Melbourne.

Starting at 4:30pm in the Engine Room

Image: Penny Byrne, Hurt Locker, 2015, courtesy of the artist

Artists in Residents Tony Albert and Louis Grant will discuss how the dual strength and fragility of glass as a material offers opportunities to interrogate the ability to be fractured and recreated. This is a methodology Tony Albert has applied in his large collage and assemblage works that bring together images and found objects of Aboriginal people, their cultural materials and designs. Through re-arrangement and transformation of these found images and objects, Albert successfully generates new conversations about race and power relations in Australia and across the globe. While emerging artist Louis Grant looks at the paradox of the queer self, and the expectations between the ‘performance of self’ and ‘true self’. Grant’s work strips back the performance of self to find an authentic, raw and nuanced voice.

Starting at 4:30pm in the Engine Room

Image: Tony Albert (Girramay/Yidinji/Kuku Yalanji peoples), installation image from the exhibition Visible, 2018, Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art. Courtesy of the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf

Visiting artist Kit Paulson received her BFA with concentration in glass from Alfred University in 2004 and has been working in glass continuously since then. Kit’s own specialisation is flameworking. She has taught at Craft schools and numerous other private glass studios.

Kit is visiting Canberra Glassworks from the USA to teach a 5 day Intensive and a weekend flameworking session.

Brendan Van Hek works across mediums, incorporating materials such as neon, mirror, glass, metal and furniture. Brendan considers materials, working with them for their structural and metaphoric potential. In recent years he has explored the possibilities of glass, starting with a residency he undertook at the Canberra Glassworks in 2016. Brendan will use his residency to research different glass blowing techniques to look further at the potential of form and colour.

Kate Baker was the winner of the Hindmarsh Prize 2018. As part of the prize Kate has been awarded a residency at Canberra Glassworks.
Using imagery and video with unexpected compositions of the body, Baker often starts by photographing or drawing her own children, reflecting on personal connections of instinct and unconditional love. By cropping out faces and abstracting the image she is questioning our perceptions of how we recognise the emotions held within our physicality. Baker is interested in focusing on moments of connection between the physical, psychological and emotional strata of the human environment.

Lucy brings elements of the outside environment, such as the light and colours, inside a room to enhance the space and illicit a certain emotional or physiological response. From the residency, she hope to build a more in depth understanding of how my current ideas and works can be scaled up in an effective and achievable way.

Starting at 4:30pm in the Engine Room

Join artist in residence Lucy Palmer in conversation about her practice and residency at Canberra Glassworks.

Tanya McArthur looks the contrasting and complimentary properties of glass and porcelain used in functional domestic setting. Tanya uses groupings of vessels to convey a sense of place and belonging.
“I utilised cameo glass techniques of layering, fusing and cold working on the diamond wheels followed by kiln slumping to form vessels. Bringing glass cold working methods to my wheel thrown porcelain vessels I also used the engraving wheels to cut and manipulate the porcelain surface in order for the two materials to share a common surface both visually and texturally.”

Sorcha Yelland explores the interrelationships of human and non-human nature. Currently using imagery from the great barrier reef, juxtaposed with the artists own body (or representations of such) to explore this relationship and the ways in which current and classical anthropocentric ideologies have impacted it.
“With these explorations I hope to highlight the blurred lines between where our bodies begin and ‘non-human’ nature ends, and hope challenge the need for such a radical divide.”

Starting at 4:30pm in the Engine Room

Join graduates in residence Tanya McArthur & Sorcha Yelland in conversation about their emerging practice and their residency.

G.W.Bot is a printmaker, painter, sculptor and graphic artist who has exhibited extensively nationally and internationally.  Works created for this exhibition were made at Canberra Glassworks during her 2018 residency where she explored the ideas of language, symbols and materials.

Starting at 2pm in the Gallery.

Join G.W.Bot in conversation about her ongoing practice and the making of G.W.Bot Glass Glyphs.

Image: G.W.Bot, Engraved Poem – Mountains, Clouds and Glyphs, 2019, glass, ceramics, stainless steel. Courtesy of the artist and Beaver Galleries. Photo: Brenton McGeachie

Giles Ryder is based between Thailand and Australia. Writing of Ryder’s practice, art critic Robert Nelson has suggested that the artist is “… energized by ambiguity, shifts and blurs in perception and meaning, and by the participation of others, in various forms”. During his residency at Canberra Glassworks Ryder will create a site specific installation for the Smokestack.

Fractured Galaxy
On display in Smokestack Gallery

Starting at 4:30pm in the Engine Room

Join artist in residence Giles Ryder in conversation about his practice and the making of Fractured Galaxy.

Artists Spike Deane, Peter Nilsson and Luna Ryan reveal their fascination for storytelling in contemporary studio glass. Their passion for old and new materials and techniques are used as a vehicle to explore different aspects of storytelling from the imagined to the modern-day. Together they demonstrate the strength of narrative based art practice today.

Starting at 2pm in the Gallery.

Join exhibiting artists Spike Deane, Peter Nilsson & Luna Ryan in conversation about their practice and the making of their works shown in Long held customs.

Image: Luna Ryan, The silent scream behind the broken screen (shadowplay), detail, 2019, cast glass, bronze, recycled television screen, courtesy of the artist
Photo: Adam McGrath