Laura de Santillana, Space II, 2002, hand-blown, shaped and compressed glass, metal leaf, H17 1/8 x W14 5/8 x D1 3/8 in (H43.5 x W37 x D3.5 cm), photo courtesy of Enrico Fiorese
Laura de Santillana: Echoes of Her Gaze
Impressions of Tokyo and Kyoto in Glass
Opening Reception: Wednesday, May 15, 5-8pm (RSVP required)
May 15 – June 29, 2024
Ippodo Gallery proudly presents Laura de Santillana: Echoes of Her Gaze, Impressions of Tokyo and Kyoto in Glass, the artist’s second posthumous solo exhibition in New York comprised of a curated presentation of over 25 glass artworks evoking the dichotomy of Tokyo’s neon lights and subdued glow of Kyoto’s aesthetics. Representing the later years of her career, this collaboration between the de Santillana Estate and Ippodo Gallery includes artworks traveling from Venice and those which were exhibited exclusively in Japan. Deeply inspired by the ingenious craftsmanship of Japanese architecture, this series of glass tablets draws together the vibrant colors that de Santillana saw in Tokyo’s bustling nightlife districts with the traditional modesty of Kyoto, where she felt a natural fondness for ancient Japanese culture analogous to the grand history of Venice.
The great bridging power of de Santillana’s glass is the sensuality of her artistic vision; she saw within glass beauty and tenderness nary another has brought to life with such vivid effect. A transformation occurs as light is diffused in color or passes through the translucent glass. What was once light becomes distorted, refracted, or purified. De Santillana’s works, imagined first in sketches and then executed at her direction, are the product of maestros and engineers who blow and manipulate the folded glass at extreme temperatures. Meticulously formulated colors made from natural pigments or metals are inserted during the firing process, only realizing their true brilliance once pulled from the fire.
Laura de Santillana’s (1955–2019) innovated Venetian-Murano glass techniques were passed down through the lineage of her grandfather, the legendary Paolo Venini. Under his tutelage, de Santillana developed her own vision of what could be expressed in glass. De Santillana’s sculptures, including her tablet-shaped Tokyo-ga series, use innovative techniques, masterful compositions of colors, and several formal and artistic gestures explored during her early career in Murano, and which she later perfected with collaborators in the Czech Republic and the United States.
Be sure to RSVP for the opening reception of this thrilling artist by contacting [email protected] or by phone at (212) 967-4899.
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