My Thoughts on Holding the Creative Glass Art Exhibition in Ginza
Michiko HATADA
I have decided to hold an exhibition of my glass artwork in Ginza, Tokyo, hoping that as many people as possible may come to appreciate the beauty of artwork created with laminated glass.
Laminated glass art came to be widely known by the renowned glass artist, Emile Galle, 100 years ago, but gradually waned after his passing and with the appearance of glass art made by mass production techniques, such as embossing. Nowadays laminated glass work is made as traditional art in Romania. But the main stream of glass art is now being taken over by molded glass and blown glass.
I thought of reviving laminated glass art by using the sandblasting method after the lapse of 100 years, and have learned about sandblasting by visiting art studios in Romania and studying to appreciate the beauty of Nature.
Galle loved Nature and wanted to keep it forever. He pursued natural beauty with tremendous tenacity, trying to somehow express its true image, not by copying Nature. Reproduction of Galle's work is still reflected in ornaments as Galle style, but I wanted to revive his spirit, not his style or shape. If such an attempt is too reckless to realize, I would like to express at the very least his world view or cosmic view that I feel when I stand face to face with his work.
The basic material of my artwork is a mere small flower vase or lampshade or water glass, but I would like to revive in it a living thing from nature, hoping to retain it for ever as an animate existence. A dimple-like air bubble found in the glass may be just a flaw. But I am hopeful that I could make even such a "dimple" reflected in my artwork as the personality of my glass art, with a thought that there is nothing that cannot be vitalized. Artwork is created only by making it possible. I am making my artwork with such a wish as if I am offering a prayer in my mind.
I should be very happy if many people would appreciate and share these thoughts of mine even a little.