International exhibition from Murano

For hundreds of years, glassware was seen primarily as utilitarian or decorative. Adriano Berengo, the founder of the Berengo Foundation in Murano, resolved to change this opinion by inviting many outstanding contemporary artists from around the world, working in various artistic fields – from sculptors to musicians, to collaborate with Venetian glass masters. This initiative aims at exposing the versatility and beauty of glass as a material through the lens of contemporary art.

According to Koen Vanmechelen, ”the Glasstress philosophy is to create a dialogue between traditional and contemporary art, weaving together two seemingly different worlds and highlighting the importance of preserving traditional techniques and craftsmanship in the face of modern technology and mass production. By collaborating with Murano glassblowers, contemporary artists are allowed to experiment with the ancient practices of glass making, resulting in unique and innovative works of art. At the same time, the glassblowers can expand their traditional skills and techniques, introducing new ideas and approaches to their craft”.

The State Gallery of Art in Sopot, in collaboration with the Berengo Foundation, presents the works of twenty-six artists from around the world who, invited to Venice, created extraordinary works in terms of their beauty as well as concept.

Participants: Ai Weiwei (China), Vanessa Beecroft (Italy), Monica Bonvicini (Italy), Hussein Chalayan (Cyprus), Judy Chicago (USA), Mat Collishaw (UK), Petah Coyne (USA), Endless (UK) , Josepha Gasch-Muche (Germany), Kendell Geers (South Africa), Maurycy Gomulicki (Poland), Karen LaMonte (USA), Massimo Lunardon (Italy), Vik Muniz (Brazil), Hans Op de Beeck (Belgium), Javier Pérez (Spain), Jaume Plensa (Spain), Laure Prouvost (France) Maria Grazia Rosin (Italy), Thomas Schütte (Germany), Sean Scully (Ireland), Elmar Trenkwalder (Austria), Koen Vanmechelen (Belgium), Xawery Wolski (Poland) ), Fred Wilson (USA), Erwin Wurm (Austria).

Many outstanding artists have worked in the Murano glass works. Artists taking part in the exhibition observed issues such as environmental degradation, decreasing biodiversity, destruction of rainforests, pandemics, colonialism, feminism, racial inequalities, totalitarian systems, as well as other, more subtle systems of social control. Thus, glass proved to be as versatile as other artistic media while revealing and reinterpreting our reality in its various aspects. Substantial ideas combined with the beauty of a traditional material. Among the artists taking part in the Sopot exhibition there are two Poles – Maurycy Gomulicki and Xawery Wolski, both of them worked with glass for the first time, and they both created animalistic pieces referring to nature.

”In a world full of uncertainty – Vanmechelen stresses – more than ever, we need the voice of the arts. In Sopot, we weave the artists’ works into a rich tapestry, using different narratives and techniques to provide a language that unveils the future and helps us understand the reality of our daily lives. The exhibition reveals the visible and invisible worlds, reconstructing the past and present to show us a world we have yet to know. Unveiled Realities is the midwife of the future.

The glass artworks symbolize the elements of water, air, fire, and earth that represent life. Glass also reminds us of the fragility of our planet. The tension and conflicts in this part of the world are skilfully conveyed through this material. Glass lets us dream about endless variations of life.”

The Glasstress project, launched in 2009 as the official collateral event of the Biennale di Venezia, today is the world’s leading showcase for the collaboration of craftsmanship and creativity, setting a new trajectory for glass and a new path for contemporary artists. Invited artists successfully create great multimedia works combining concept with craftsmanship. All artistic pieces commissioned by Berengo Studio are made in the historic glass works in Murano. Since the Middle Ages Venetian chandeliers and glassware have been highly valued, luxurious products that expressed the city’s wealth and power. However, the Berengo Foundation, established in 1989 and inspired by the American Glass Movement, above all by the experimental approach of Peggy Guggenheim who, together with Edigio Constantini and artists such as Pablo Picasso and Max Ernst, translated the ideas of glass art to contemporary art, wants to rekindle the traditional technique in collaboration with contemporary artists. 

Thanks to the cooperation with the Murano Glass Museum, the Sopot exhibition features films presenting traditional Venetian techniques, various ways of producing beautiful glass objects as well as the famous Rezzonico chandeliers.

This summer art shall symbolically connect Venice, one of the most important and frequently visited places in the world, and Sopot, the most beautiful Polish seaside resort. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue as well as an educational and promotional programme. The exhibition curators are: Eulalia Domanowska – the director of the State Gallery of Art, Adriano Berengo – the founder of the Berengo Foundation, and Koen Vanmechelen – Belgian artist and animator who established the Labiomista Art Center in Genk.