The Spirit of Transparency

Aptly-named “The Spirit of Transparency，” China’s first international exhibition of contemporary glass artwork was presented by the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou， Zhejiang Province， from January 10 to 25. Nearly 100 pieces of art by 30 glass artists from both home and abroad were displayed to the public for the very first time. Focusing on the crystalline texture of glass as a substance， the exhibit also endeavored to pinpoint the cultural essence of every artifact.

In Western countries， glass craftsmanship has been regarded as an essential genre of art for a long time， which has helped its artists become quite accomplished in terms of technique and ability with both practical products and artistic works. In China， not until the 1950s did the first group of people begin spreading knowledge of decorative glassware upon finishing studies in Eastern Europe， where Western glass craftsmanship had already developed into fields of professional design and contemporary art. Due to the collapse of relations with the Soviet Union， China remained isolated from European information on such subjects for several decades， which left the country’s glass craftsmanship stuck to practical products rather than independent contemporary art.

During the final decade of the past century， China’s first glass art department was established at Shanghai University’s Academy of Fine Arts， where Andrew Brewerton， jury chair for the inaugural British Biennale Glass Exhibition， served as an honorary professor. When a group of energetic young glass artists who had been mentored by Brewerton in the U.K. returned to China， China’s contemporary glass art began seeing healthy development and attracted a number of ceramic artists to diversify their work. Still， decorative-oriented ideas continued to dominate guidelines of glass art design at the time. “Unlike the widespread ceramics which had cultivated unique lifestyles and cultural perspectives， China had no experience mass producing glass，”comments Xu Jiang， president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

Departing from its 1990s’ dual bases in Beijing and Shanghai， this century’s Chinese glass art， which was formerly heavily influenced by Brewerton’s British contemporary style， has started to pick up a new look at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Animated by a number of artists equipped with overseas experience in various countries such as the U.S.， Russia， Germany， and Australia， contemporary Chinese glass art is becoming more versatile.

In the field of contemporary Chinese art， China’s glass art is still a relative newcomer and relies on existing jade and ceramic art for a lot of inspiration. Therefore， unlike other similar artistic creations such as ceramic and lacquer， the development of glass art in China is so far behind others that it has made little external influence. “Not until the reform and opening up policy did glass craftsmanship begin to shine more brightly due to kiln firing technology” reveals Xu. “Thanks to more frequent communication between various art academies in the nation around the turn of the new century， glass art as a major has become more popular after several new glass art departments were established with support from a great number of teachers with newly-acquired overseas experience. With an aim to expose China’s glass art to the international market to enhance its development and improvement， we launched this international exhibition in Hangzhou.”

Along with the showcase of art， the exhibition was also highlighted by an academic conference to pave the way for glass art to become an active player in China’s higher education through discussions of glass craftsmanship theory and practice.