Trieste Contemporanea dicember 2002 n.10/11
 
Attilia Dorigato
The Venetian editions of “Aperto Vetro”

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“Fragile!”, an initiative stemming from Trieste Contemporanea’s decision to dedicate this year’s edition of its design competition, open to artists from the CEI countries, to the application of design to blown glass, is perfectly in tune with the climate of interest which is causing the attention of artists, collectors and art dealers from all parts of the world to converge on the art of glass - in particular on the activity, now more lively than ever, that continues to animate the island par excellence of blown glass, Murano, where the pieces selected for “Fragile!” were executed.
The Triestine initiative is directly connected to the exhibitions Venice has been dedicating to contemporary glass over recent years, starting with the first edition in 1996, Venezia Aperto Vetro 1996, followed by those of 1998 and 2000, while the next one will be held in the lagoon city in 2003.
The 1996 edition aimed at providing a wide overview of what glass artists were doing around the world in the field of both blown and molten glass. The presence of American, Australian and Japanese artists, alongside those from Europe, of course, provided evidence of the extent to which glass is used today for artistic productions which have nothing to do with craftwork in the strict sense of the word.
The 1998 Aperto Vetro was entirely dedicated to glass blowing and cold working in the Murano tradition. The outcome was astounding in that, once again, it gave irrefutable evidence of the widespread circulation of the traditional workmanship of the island and of its capability of updating itself through continuous creative contributions.
In 2000 the theme of Aperto Vetro was “design glass” focusing on the contribution of architects and designers to the creation of everyday, and thus series-produced, objects in the course of the 20th century. The presence of a most disparate variety of objects, from glasses to lamps, but also plates, vases and decorative elements, both in blown and industrial glass, testified to the wide use we make, even unconsciously, of this material. The theme of the next edition of Aperto Vetro has not, as yet, been defined in detail; however the show will certainly confirm the attraction glass continues to have for an increasingly large number of artists.


Attilia Dorigato
 
 

 

 
 
 
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