1 - 20 March 2012
about the exhibition
Glass artist Holly Grace continues to increase her appreciation of the nuances of culture, language and landscape through travel. Originally inspired by Scandinavian landscapes, her most recent work shifts focus to a local viewpoint and uses a new vernacular to describe the Australian Alps. Having recently returned home, her glass forms reflect a unique understanding of the materiality of glass and with that comes a fresh aesthetic approach to landscape. Her practice is multifaceted, transferring photographic images of the places she has visited, such as the wilds of the Alps or Thredbo River, onto glass. This creates both a pictorial and sculptural landscape. As a collective the sculptures tell a greater narrative. The surface of these works are sandblasted and etched with both abstract and realist imagery, the translucency of the glass allowing light to reveal subtle tones and shadows within. Holly uses organic and totemic shapes, such as pillars, bowls and spheres, to express an intuitive connection to the land. Her beautifully crafted forms in this exhibition reveal a unique understanding of the landscape surrounding the Canberra region.
Holly Grace completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Curtin University in Perth in 1996, then went on to further study 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 Glasmuseum, Ebeltoft, Denmark.
