| Glass Tooth (Untitled) 2021 by Tony Cragg - Photo: Cat Bauer |
(Venice, Italy) The British sculptor Sir Tony Cragg marvels that the human body forms teeth, creating natural sculptures made out of minerals. The enamel that covers human teeth is 96 percent mineral and stronger than bone. Otherwise, he thinks that human beings make boring things and that industry is killing our form.
"We have to stop impoverishing form. Sculpture is the only way to put form back in the world," said Cragg at the opening of Silicon Dioxide on December 3, his solo show at the Murano Glass Museum. Curated by Berengo Studio in association with the Civic Museums of Venice, it is the first exhibition dedicated to Cragg's use of glass as an artistic medium.
| Going to Murano in December - Photo: Cat Bauer |
On a clear day, taking a trip to Murano in the winter is like traveling into a surrealistic postcard come to life. The snow-capped Italian Alps loom so close to the water of lagoon that they seem photo-shopped onto the sky. The air is crisp; the locals inhabitants are warm; and the tourists are intelligent. Add the opportunity to view Cragg's glass sculptures up close at the Silicon Dioxide exhibition, and the journey to the Murano Glass Museum becomes a wonderful winter adventure.
Silicon dioxide is the primary ingredient that glass is made of, a miraculous material that transforms from from its molten form in the fiery furnaces on Murano to swirling works of art as it cools into a breakable solid. From Cragg's imaginative mind to the hands of master glass-blowers, the glass forms into distinct sculptures -- everything from ordinary bottles filled with vegetables and beans to a haunting triptych self-portrait.
| Self portrait by Tony Cragg - Photo: Cat Bauer |
Tony Cragg first came to Venice in 1980. Since then, his work has been featured in several editions of the Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition. He represented Britain at the national pavilion in 1988, the same year he won the esteemed Turner Prize.
In 2009, Cragg first started working with Berengo Studio, the revolutionary glass movement founded by Adriano Berengo in 1989 to whisk the ancient art of glass-making into the future. International artists collaborate with maestro glass-blowers on the island of Murano to create contemporary works of art using the powerful magic of glass. Cragg was featured in the first edition of Glasstress, a collateral exhibition of the Venice Biennale that showcased works produced by Berengo Studio, which has since grown into a recurring contemporary exhibition featuring some of the world's greatest artists.
Tony Cragg & Cat Bauer in front of the Cisten sculpture of glass bottles (1999) Photo 2021 Museo del Vetro by Nally Bellati of Contessanally |
I first saw Tony Cragg's work in Venice at Ca' Pesaro in 2010, and then again in Merano in 2011 where I had the opportunity to talk to him at dinner. I was struck then by the way he seemed to feel the actual spirit of the molecules that make up the different materials he forms into sculptures. Click to read the post:
Tony Cragg in 4D in Venice & Meran
With Silicon Dioxide, Cragg juxtaposes his glass sculptures of the past with new works that have never been exhibited before, including the sculpture of the glass tooth. "I'm fascinated by teeth because they are a mineral sculpture that the body makes. I think it's a great, amazing idea that we eat stuff and somehow we make mineral things -- I think that's quite an astonishing notion... and anthropologically, what we find of a lot of species of human beings, two million years old, whatever -- all that's left are the teeth. It's very archaic and has a strong emotional meaning and quality to it."
Silicon Dioxide runs through March 3, 2022. Go to the Murano Glass Museum for more information.
Ciao from Venezia,
Cat Bauer
Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog
