Dazzling Glass Works by Chihuly at AVENUEL
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Anyone who has been to the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas will undoubtedly remember the magnificent array of glass flowers on the lobby's ceiling. Those hand-blown glass pieces by world-renowned artist Dale Chihuly have become as much of a tourist attraction as the hotel's fountains.
While his works have been displayed throughout the world, interestingly Chihuly's iconic glass pieces have not quite caught on in Korea, save for two installations at the Sheraton Walker Hill and the Phoenix Park Hotel.
That just might change after people see the on-going exhibition ``Dale Chihuly: Sculptures in Glass and Drawings'' at Lotte Art Gallery and throughout the Avenue L department store in downtown Seoul.
Michael Hytinen, a representative from Chihuly Studios in Seattle, said the artist is excited to be showing his works in Korea again, especially with the expanding art market. Mezzanine Gallery is the official representative for Chihuly in Korea.
``Asia, Mr. Chihuly believes, will define the next generation of the world's economy. There's a passion in countries like Korea, and an appetite toward new, wonderful and creative things. It's such a great time to be here because people are quite open and curious, and there's a lot of passion here for music, fashion and architecture. You can see that in Seoul, and the art scene is an extension of that,'' Hytinen said told The Korea Times.
The 68-year-old selected a number of sculptures, paintings and drawings to showcase his different series such as Baskets, Seaforms, Macchia, Venetians and Ikebana.
The Baskets, Macchia and Seaforms sparkle with otherworldly colors at the gallery. As light hits the yellow and orange glass pieces of the Persian Wall, the pretty colored shadows created on the walls become part of the installation itself.
On the second floor of AVENUEL, visitors will find an installation of turquoise glass reeds perched on huge pine logs. Hytinen said the tall glass reeds were made in Finland, since there are no glass-making facilities in the U.S. that can handle that kind of scale.
``Mr. Chihuly often finds inspiration very early in the morning as he looks over the horizon. He is often inspired by water and nature. He follows his gut instincts,'' Hytinen said.
Described as the world's most successful glass artist, Chihuly is widely credited with elevating glass from being considered as a craft form into a fine art. He lost sight in his left eye in 1976, which has always been covered by his signature black eye patch.
He may no longer make the pieces himself, but he is intimately involved in the creative process for every artwork created. He views himself as a ``conductor" or ``director," and he works with 100 people in his studio, including glass blowers, the administration and the shipping teams.
Among his most famous installations are ``Chihuly Over Venice," featuring 14 brilliantly lit Chandeliers along the Grand Canal and around the city, and ``Chihuly in the Light of Jerusalem 2000,'' which included a 44-foot tall Crystal Mountain and Jerusalem Wall of Ice, made of 64 tons of arctic diamond clear ice from Alaska, which melted in 3 days.
The Chihuly exhibition at Lotte Art Gallery runs through Oct. 15, while his pieces are on display from the basement to 5th floor of Lotte AVENUEL through Oct. 31. Admission is free.
The Mezzanine Gallery, located on the 3rd floor of the Nature Poem Building, Cheongdam-dong, has a continuing exhibition of Chihuly's works, including chandeliers, glass sculptures and drawings. Visit www.chihuly.com.