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Movie by Jata Haan, music by DJ Pippins. (c) 2009 Anne Gant.
Artist discusses work and process for creating hot glass drawings on paper.
The art organization transartists visited the studio, and watched a glassblowing demonstration. This is my first press in Dutch! Here is the English translation, courtesy of the author, Erik Hagoort:
Glass Power! Vrij Glas, Zaandam
After passing a garish row of furniture shops in Zaandam, the bus swerves onto a rather swampy dike. Next to us flows the Noordzeekanaal (North Sea Canal). Having passed a wide checkpoint, the bus stops on the Hembrug terrein, an area of land which could well do service as the set for a Cold War film. Not so very long ago, this area was full with bombs and grenades. Now however, this former munitions depot has become the workshop of Stichting Vrij Glas.
Visual artist and initiative-taker at Vrij Glas Anna Carlgren lead us around, immediately confronting us with the two most important challenges faced by Vrij Glas: “How do you finance a ‘grass-roots’ initiative such as ours? And how can you keep to the ideal of international hospitality in the jungle of restrictive regulations for residence permits?” Join forces, was Carlgren’s immediate answer. Much is within reach with the necessary staying power, or better said with the necessary fighting spirit.
These days it is impossible to think of the Dutch artist-in-residence sector without Vrij Glas. Carlgren is building on close relationships with academies and cultural centres in the Netherlands and further afield, since Vrij Glas is firmly established in the international glass-working network. However, most important of all is day to day practice. During our visit, the glass ovens roared and artist Anne Gant lead the visitors in glass-blowing.
Just out this month from UK publisher Black Dog, Contemporary Glass features 60 glass artists, ranging from the obvious choices (Kiki Smith, Dale Chihuly) to a diverse selection of artists, including Mark Zirpel, Olafur Eliasson, Tobias Rehberger and Beth Lipman. I am pleased to be included in the mix, with a smart write-up that makes a connection between my work to Cai Guo Quiang’s gunpowder installations.
The editor, Blanche Craig, writes” “The glass artists featured… continually challenge definitions of the medium and how it can be used. They deploy glass to reassert its position as one of the most exciting mediums today, exploit preconceptions and make works that seemingly defy categorization. As such, they provide not only new parameters within which to consider glass today, but have also set out a framework that future practitioners can engage with.”
To see the full text written about my work, please go to the press archives.
