VisitExhibitions

Judi Elliott, Drew Spangenberg, April Phillips, Kate Banazi, Ham Darroch and Gibson Karlo

This co-curated group show draws on the visually extravagant design movement that was derived by the Memphis Group. Deeply rooted in 1980s Italian architecture, furniture, poster art and glass, Memphis delivered a bold, loud, and sometimes jarring aesthetic. In partnership with Megalo Print Studio, Canberra Glassworks will deliver an exhibition showcasing artists whose work is playful, geometric, and unashamedly bold.

Curated by Aimee Frodsham & Stephen Payne.

Pictured: Drew Spangenberg

Artist Talk: Saturday 24 February at 2pm

This exhibition is inspired by the concept of terraforming, a concept which literally translates to “Earth-shaping”, a process that aims to modify the atmosphere, temperature, surface topography, or ecology of a planet, moon, or other celestial body to make it suitable for life. Burridge has developed a conceptual framework around geology, time, and industrialisation, which offers a unique perspective on the relationship between craftsmanship and raw materials. He explores these ideas by working with rudimentary materials in combination with industrial techniques, to transform material in unexcepted ways.

In 2023, Burridge undertook a residency at Canberra Glassworks to develop and explore naturally formed glass, where heat and pressure was applied to basalt, to form obsidian. These intriguing rock-glass hybrids exist only through human intervention, shedding light on our industrial capabilities and our indifference to the natural environment. They also serve as a poignant reminder of the immense geological forces that have shaped our planet over millennia.

Curated by Aimee Frodsham

Opening & Artist Talk: Saturday 16 March from 3pm

Born in Sierra Leone and based in Gundaroo, New South Wales, Rosalind Lemoh’s artistic practice deeply examines identity within the Australian context. Using found objects that are meticulously replicated in concrete, bronze, aluminium, and for the first time, glass, she creates assemblages and installations. Her choice of objects ranges from tiny seeds or fruit to full-body with an attention to detail and an emphasis on capturing wear and decay. These groupings become repositories of memory and personal narratives.

Influenced by distinct and varied art history, including Arte de Povera, concrete poetry, and natural history collections, her art serves as a means to explore her identity as a female artist of colour, engaging in a dialogue between personal identity and broader societal narratives.

Curated by Aimee Frodsham

Opening & Artist Talk: Wednesday 8 May from 5pm

Robert Fielding is a contemporary artist of Pakistani, Afghan, Western Arrernte and Yankunytjatjara descent, who lives in Mimili Community in the remote Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands. Fielding combines strong cultural roots with contemporary views on the tensions between community life and global concerns. He confidently moves across different mediums, whilst pushing aesthetic and conceptual boundaries in central desert art. Robert Fielding will undertake a Canberra Glassworks supported residency in mid-2023 to realise works for this exhibition.

Co-curated by Erin Vink and Aimee Frodsham

Artist Talk: to be confirmed

Cobi Cockburn is a celebrated contemporary Australian artist, who specialises in working with glass, light, and line. Known for her large wall panels and installations that use shifting tonal linework, that connect and respond to the gallery’s architecture. Each piece is a unique combination of concise minimalism and precise geometry, with intricate complexity and thoughtful transitions, that invites viewers to engage in prolonged contemplation. The subtle use of transparent and opaque layers create different hues, this holds the viewers gaze like a gentle hum.

In her recent work, Cockburn has begun using neon to further her exploration of line and light. Focusing on the warm glow and rich line quality rather than the intensity we have come to expect from neon. This is an exploration into the beauty of energy and the intertwined relationships of art, memory and spirituality.

Curated by Aimee Frodsham

On display in the Glassworks Engine Room

Part of the Hanging by a Thread project, this project aims to raise awareness of the plight of Afghan women and girls and involves over 1,200 experienced and amateur mosaic artists from 46 countries. Each artist has made a small segment of glass mosaic, which is being joined together to create a series of giant scarfs. Initiated by Bady Essid Jaballah from Tunisia, the scarf concept took shape under the art director Madeleine Turgeon from Canada.

This exhibition will bring together mosaics from SA, VIC, NSW, QLD, TAS, WA and New Zealand undertaken by communities during the 2022 International Year of Glass.

Curated by Kristin Wohlers and Behishta Anwar

Main Gallery

Elliat Rich is a designer, furniture maker and deep thinker who has created a multi-faceted creative practice that is led by curiosity, wonder and the possibilities of the imagination. Based within the complex and enriching ecology of Mparntwe, Alice Springs, Central Australia, she works across a broad-spectrum of design, drawing inspiration from mythology, art, poetry, and the living planet.

Rich describes the use of storytelling, artefacts, collaboration, and observations as Designing Mythology. This is an ongoing experiment which questions colonial structures, celebrates wonder, and provide an experience of belonging.

Curated by Aimee Frodsham

Smokestack Gallery

Jeffrey Sarmiento is known for his creative practice exploring cultural identity and the graphic image in glass, Sarmiento embeds layers of information in his intricately constructed objects, sculptures and public commissions. An expert in kiln formed and digital fabricated glass, he uses cutting and pasting of printed glass lenticular imagery and within the transparent medium, allowing imagery to swim within the pieces. He thinks of glass as a literal lens with optical qualities, as well as a metaphorical lens into culture which helps him to expose complex narratives and create new ways of seeing.

Curated by Aimee Frodsham