19 October - 4 November 2023
about the exhibition
Glass artist Holly Grace continues to follow her observations of the natural world within her blown glass forms. The work in this exhibition is inspired by a 2023 Craft + Design Canberra artist residency at the National Portrait Gallery and Gudgenby ready-cut Cottage in the Namadgi National Park, as well as recent explorations of fire regenerated areas at Northern Kosciuszko National Park. Reflecting the delicate and complex ecosystems around her, the works are intricate and richly detailed. Holly’s use of translucent glass with sandblasting and etching processes allow light to filter through her works, illuminating and making subtle tones and shadows within. As a collective, her works tell a greater narrative. Budding tendrils bloom over the surface of her works while birds soar above forested branches, a testament to the resilience and regeneration of nature. Aware of this delicate and powerful world around her, Holly observes “…I see that my track has many small interceptions, softly marked animal trails formed by swamp wallabies, wombats and eastern grey kangaroos. Nature’s pathways leading into a vast landscape, both empty and full – empty of life’s everyday distractions of a built environment and modern-day technology but full of space to breathe and observe nature’s many wonders. So with trepidation and joy I step off track and into the unknown.”
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 many 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).
The artist would like to make a special acknowledgement for gaffers Tom Rowney, Annette Blair and assistants, Belinda Toll, Robert Schwartz, and Nadina Geary – the talented team of artists that Holly works with in the hot glass studio at the Canberra Glassworks.
