Glass is such a delicate and fragile material, while showing its vulnerability through production, it also shows its strength with design. A natural material made from sand, soda ash and limestone, glass is an absolute marvel when it comes to what an artist can create as the limit truly does not exist.
Organised by Lothar Böttcher and his incredible team, Fired Up is a glass art exhibition taking place over the next month showcasing the best Africa has to offer. The vision is to show trailblazers in the field of Southern African glass-art who have been instrumental in keeping the proverbial fires burning. 2022 was named as United Nation’s International Year of Glass and Fired Up is here to celebrate just that. They showcase glass art and design in a myriad of creative interpretations takes place at the Pretoria Art Museum.
In collaboration with the WITS Origins Centre, the exhibit reveals how glass beads were used as currency in extensive continental trade routes, alongside examples from private collections of Woodstock Glass, produced in the first furnaces on the tip of Africa. The exhibition also chronicles the story of pioneers and torchbearers in the local hand-made glass industry such as Ngwenya Glass from Eswatini and the Tshwane University of Technology’s Department of Fine and Studio Arts. This exhibition also features a display of contemporary glass artworks by trailblazers who have, and still are shaping the Southern African creative-glass industry.
The exhibition is complimented by a symposium on the 01 October 2022 hosted at the Tshwane University of Technology Faculty of Arts and Design campus. Several speakers from artists, academics and industry professionals will discuss the theme ‘Glass and its future in an African context.’ This conference has limited bookings available.
Artists on show at the exhibit include a variety of talent from Fanus Boshoff, Barbara Ewing, Caitlin Greenberg, Lothar Böttcher, Ryan Manuel and Stephen Mofokeng to David Reade, Nicole Rowe, Guido Van Besouw, Retief van Wyk, Martli Jansen van Rensburg, James Magagula and Anselm Croze. The creative minds of these individuals push the limit to what glass can do, stretching the material to new possibilities and creating stand-out pieces of art that will have you stop and marvel at its creation.
The Fired Up! exhibition will run at the Pretoria Art Museum from the 03rd September until the 30th October 2022. Entry is Tuesdays to Sundays, 10h00 to 17h00 so be sure to stop by and catch a glimpse of these artistic beauties before its too late.
