Marking the 150th anniversary of the former Lennarz Glassworks, home to Philara Collection since 2016, “Melting Sands” exhibits glass works of fifteen contemporary artists exploring the medium, its characteristics and vast potential. Being an amorphous and disordered solid, glass solidifies without crystallisation and its state of metastability means it is inherently transformable.
With its great versatility, glass has a long tradition of accompanying mankind — stone age arrowheads were found made of obsidian glass and glassmaking is estimated to date back over 5000 years. Venetian glass being a staple in luxurious villas since the days of ancient Rome, in Northern Europe it was the Netherlands who by the 16th century had gained a reputation with their glass à la façon de Venise.“ In this exhibition, The Netherlands share their lively contemporary Dutch glass scene — with an inherent tradition of interdisciplinary cooperation, combining art and craft with regard for sustainability.
In CHIME, 2024, Jeanine Verloop from Rotterdam, loops thin strands of glass in organic spirals which are presented mounted on or suspended from speakers. The fragile yet surprisingly elastic loops have a natural bounce, are flexible to the touch and quiver and dance in resonance to the sonar vibration from the frequencies emitted from the speakers and the environment. At a particular peak called ‘resonant frequency’, the spirals emanate a chiming sound, turning the 20 sculptures in this installation into a subtle glockenspiel of glass.
Narges Mohammedi’s steel and sugar glass installation “In the shadow of the sun” creates a calmly glowing safe space to sit in and withdraw to in the shape of a giant onion. Nowadays of Dutch Nationality, Mohammedi was born (1993) between Afghanistan and Iran – ‘on a train’, Mohammedi explains, and her work draws from personal experience of displacement, separation and grief. “In the shadow of the sun” offers a soothing womblike zone that can assist healing and processing, layer by layer. The sugar glass – historically used for stunt scenes in the film industry – is a special touch: edible and sweet if consumed it can be hand produced in the studio or gallery even, shares the look and many other qualities with sand-based glass, yet is risk-free and doesn’t cut when shattered. –Uscha Pohl
Artists: Gabriele Beveridge, Gwenneth Boelens, Elio J Carranza, Kasia Fudakowski, Paul Hance, Annika Kahrs, Yaël Kempf, Mischa Kuball, Katharina Maderthaner, Narges Mohammadi, Leonor Serrano Rivas, Mathilde Rosier, Jeremy Shaw, Slavs and Tatars, Jeanine Verloop
Curated by Julika Bosch and Hannah Niemeier; with the kind support of The Netherlands’ cultural embassy and the Mondriaan Foundation
Narges Mohammedi in her installation In the shadow of the sun, 2023,photo Tomek Sierek
Narges Mohammadi, In the shadow of the sun, 2023
Jeanine Verloop photo Uscha Pohl
