In the Name of Love

Glass is one of the areas of interest Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung, which likes to pick up the unusual. Glass in art has been around for a long time. One example are the purposeless vases of Emile Gallé or Daum. With the studio glass movement, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2012, glass as a material underwent a dramatic change: away from decorative, bound forms such as vases or bowls, towards ambiguous statements. The medium of glass had developed – unnoticed by many – into an independent field in art.

The exhibition showed objects by internationally known artists, but also young and in Europe still unknown talents could be discovered. Especially they use the material glass carefree in combination with other materials such as branches, fabrics, photographs or wire mesh to feel the light and dark sides of love. Like, for example, the wings of the young Canadians Tanya Lyons & Mathieu Grodet sewn together from many pieces. They conveyed the high spirits that love can trigger, but also made one think of the danger of getting burned.

In the “land of poets and thinkers”, complicated themes still seemed to be a concern for artists at the time of the exhibition. They were represented in large numbers from the north of Germany to the south with emotionally haunting works. The works drastically demonstrate the cruel power of love to destroy hearts (Ariane Forkel) or even tear them out (Simone Fezer). The smoothly polished red couple by Franz X. Höller standing next to each other made it clear in the exhibition that love in partnership makes demands and compromises shape the good partnership. Touching aspects of the very special affection of siblings were revealed by the objects of Christiane Budig and Sibylle Peretti.

The specific love relationship between mother and child is one of the predominant themes of the large disturbing sculptures by Christina Bothwell (USA). At the same time, they hint at the danger of too much love, which – represented as an octopus – engulfs and crushes everything. The glass HI virus thematizes one of the dark sides of sexual and partnership love and in this context also reminds us of charity in dealing with the sick (Luke Jerram). Objects came from Israel and New Zealand, as well as from China and Japan. Lino Tagliapietra, the great and revered teacher of many artists, deals with the love of home in the form of profoundly colored reflections in the water of Venice.