28 February – 17 March 2019
about the exhibition
The organic forms and subtle tonal variations that occur in nature provide a rich source of inspiration for glass artist Holly Grace. Growing up in Western Australia, Holly was aware of nature’s beautiful but harsh reality, with the line between urban and natural landscapes small and often changing. Over the last few years, Holly has been delving into the history of and motivations behind early European settlement in Australia’s alpine and sub-alpine regions. She examines the search for material wealth within a landscape of immaterial beauty, juxtaposing the two through imagery painted, etched and projected from glass objects. A continuing reminder of this early settlement is the presence of the small mountain huts. These, often crude, huts scattered throughout the area form a potent symbol of early colonial encounters with this beautiful environment and “are a physical testament to our pioneering past and a people’s history”. She creates forms based on items found within these huts decorating them with her observations of the natural world, fusing place to object creating a transportable memory. Holly uses her extraordinary range of technical skills to take her audience on a journey through the history of this area reflecting on its original occupants, colonialist transformation and modern state.
Holly Grace completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Curtin University in Perth in 1996, then went on to further study in glass at Monash University in Melbourne, completing her Masters in 2004. During this time, she also worked as studio assistant to renowned glassmakers in Australia, Denmark, Sweden and the UK. In 2010, Holly was a finalist in the Tom Malone Prize at the Art Gallery of Western Australia and received a Pilchuck Glass Scholarship. Her work is in collections including the National Gallery of Australia, Australian National Glass Collection (Wagga Wagga, NSW), Parliament House, Artbank, Art Gallery of Western Australia and the Glasmuseum (Ebeltoft, Denmark).
