Bertil Vallien to exhibit at the Venice Biennale with his unique sand moulded glass sculptures
As the first ever Swedish glass artist, Bertil Vallien will exhibit individually with “Nine Rooms” at the Collateral Event of the Venice Biennale 13th International Architecture Exhibition
Bertil Vallien has been invited to exhibit at the world renowned Venice Biennale. Italy, by some considered the birth place of fine glass art, will welcome the world famous Swedish artist who has invented and perfected the art of sand casting and moulding of art glass. Bertil Vallien works in a mythical, dream-like world of symbolic imagery. He undertakes what he himself describes as a never-ending research quest, in close cooperation with his co-workers at Åfors glassworks, several of whom have worked with Mr Vallien for decades.
The exhibition “Nine Rooms” covers 500 m2of the beautiful Palazzo Franchetti in Venice. Each room has a specific theme and collection of art glass. Every piece exhibited at the Venice Biennale is sand moulded.
“Sleeping Girl” is a theme based on a true story of a young woman in 1870s’ Småland who fell unconscious after an accident and slept through much of her adult life. What happens in a person’s mind and thought during such a process?
In the room featuring “Desert Snow” you are left to making your own interpretation on how a small white frail flower that battles the elements, thrives and brings life to remote areas is contrasted to the harsh, black, rugged landscapes and surfaces that meet the eye in silence in Mr Vallien’s work.
With “Area II”, Mr Vallien has created a zone which has been submitted to extreme heat or cold which has transformed the elements to ice or glass. The fascination is the different, but equally very strong, forces which alter a material in a powerful and undeniable process which leaves the end result altered, but not less stunning.
“In transit” features four installations which bring obvious connections to architectural elements. The bar is an object which protrudes and makes a forceful and sometimes threatening statement in the various installations. Inspiration has been drawn from historical structures and opposing organic structures versus rigid elements.
Bertil Vallien has worked with Kosta Boda for over 50 years and is by far the most internationally celebrated glass artist and designer in Sweden. He has received numerous awards and his work is well represented in leading museums around the world. His solid, deep-blue, four-meter-long ship has become part of modern glass history. His creations include Château, one of the best-selling ranges of handmade glasses over the years.
The Venice Biennale, founded in 1895, is one of the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions. The International Architecture Exhibition, of which Bertil Valliens’ exhibitions is part of this year, was held for the first time in 1980. This year’s Exhibition will be open to the public from Aug 28th– Nov 25th, 2012.
A press preview for Bertil Vallien’s exhibition will be held on Monday Aug. 27thbetween 10:00-14:00 at the
Instituto Veneto di Scienze Lettere ed Arti
Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti
Campo Santo Stefano, 2847
30124 Venice
Italy
The inauguration of the exhibition will be held on Monday Aug. 27that 18:30 at Instituto Veneto di Scienze Lettere ed Arti, Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti. Invitations to the inauguration are sent from the organizers exclusively.
The exhibition has been made possible thanks to Mr Bertil Vallien, Berengo Studio srl and Orrefors Kosta Boda AB. Börge Kamras and Adriano Berengo, with the contribution of Francesca Giubilei, are curators of the exhibition. Ewa Kumlin, Managing Director of Svensk Form, has managed the application to the collateral exhibition.
Jenny Sundqvist, Chef Produktutveckling & Marknad.
Tel: 46 478 346 19
E-post: jenny.sundqvist@orrefors.se
Orrefors Kosta Boda AB is a design company in the Swedish province of Småland that designs and makes high-quality utility glassware and art glass. We develop, produce and sell a wide range of utility and art glass for private and public use under the brands Orrefors and Kosta Boda. We are the largest glassworks group in the Nordic countries with a history dating all the way back to 1742.
The glasswork in Kosta constitute the heart of our business. A genuine glasswork environment close to the craftsmanship and the designers. In Kosta we also run extensive tourism and events operations that attract more than one million visitors each year.
Since 2005, Orrefors Kosta Boda AB has been part of New Wave Group, which works with several brands in the consumer and corporate market in the areas of sport, leisure, furnishings and gifts. New Wave Group is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Stockholm exchange.
www.kostaboda.com
