- Adam Aaronson
- an artist's journey
- 24th April to 31st May 2008
- Images
Zest Gallery is celebrating the last 10 years of work created by glass artist Adam Aaronson with the solo exhibition An Artist’s Journey. Adam Aaronson has been at the heart of British studio glass for more than 25 years – first as a gallery owner discovering and promoting new glass talent and subsequently as an artist in his own right.
Adam opened his first glassblowing studio in 1986, which marked the beginning of his personal journey as a glass artist, as well as offering both British and international artists the chance to develop their own work through residencies in his studio.
Over the last ten years Adam’s work has developed and matured. He has created a number of bodies of work, which are presented in this exhibition, showing his progression from one imaginative and innovative idea to the next. From Coil Pots to Slices and Reeds to Landscapes, Adam is a skilled maker and a truly diverse and talented glass artist.
As an artist Adam is fascinated with the ideas of layers, which is a theme throughout his work over the last ten years.
The artist says: “With my body of work called “Landscapes”, I build up the colour and texture in layer upon layer on the surface of the vessel using silver leaf and varying sizes of glass powders and frits. With my “Stones” series, I have a layer of colour on the inside and layers of clear frosted glass on the outside, so that there is a feeling of a glass skin, which mirrors the layered structure of real skin.”
Stone, Sail, Ripple, Wave is a vocabulary of forms using the “envelope manipulation” method of glass blowing that Adam pioneered in 2001 and is constantly refining. An early Stone was exhibited at the Cooper Hewitt in New York (catalogue: “Skin, Surface, Substance and Design”, edited by Ellen Lupton, Princeton Architectural Press). A recent donation of a group of Stones to a leading UK cancer charity was auctioned at Christie’s in London and raised substantial funds.
Adam’s work has been exhibited all over the world and can be found in numerous private collections from royalty to rock stars. Major commissions include the Royal Academy of Arts in London, Italy’s venerable Salviati glass studio, and the UK’s National Art Collections Fund. His work has been selected for the prestigious Sotheby’s Contemporary Decorative Arts exhibition in London, and his work is regularly shown at top art fairs in the USA and the UK, including SOFA and FORM London.
Zest Gallery is internationally recognised as London's destination for contemporary glass. Founded in 2003, Zest brings outstanding British and international glass to a wider audience through an exciting exhibition programme.
The gallery showcases the work of emerging talent alongside established artists who are the best in their field. Zest runs varied and innovative events throughout the year, as well as offering visitors the chance to enjoy a fascinating insight into the skilled process of glass making in Adam’s adjacent glass studio.
Entrance to the exhibition is free and all work is available to buy from Zest Gallery.