After the success of the exhibition Tony Cragg: Silicon Dioxide at the Museo del Vetro in 2022, Berengo Studio is delighted to be partnering once again with the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia to bring a new exhibition to the island of Murano: Shattering Beauty.
ph Francesco Allegretto
The solo show explores the innovative works of the Swiss artist Simon Berger. Curated by curated by Sandrine Welte and Chiara Squarcina in collaboration with the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia and Berengo Studio, it is conceived as an immersive installation and presents around 20 works, all previously unseen, that explore the fragility of the human condition through the artist’s hypnotic and innovative sculptural practice. Contrary to the tradition of blown or cast glass, Berger’s sculptural gesture is reminiscent of the act of carving on the vitreous surface.
ph Francesco Allegretto
ph Francesco Allegretto“The difficulty of working with glass is also what gives rise to my artworks: its fragility,” Berger observes. Indeed, his unique technique presents an alternative approach to glass portraiture, which the artist himself defines as “morphogenesis.” Berger’s is an artistic investigation that tests glass by pushing it to its limits, to the point of breaking: brushstrokes become blows of a hammer on a sheet of glass, forcing splits and breaks into facial features. “The material does not allow for corrections. If one hammer blow is not right, I have to discard the whole work,” says Berger, “of course, there is a nervousness when I start a new work. My expectations of myself and the fear of not meeting my requirements sometimes even stops me from starting. In these moments, I try to block out these thoughts and concentrate on the essentials: My passion for making art and the heart and soul I put into it.”
In the hands of Simon Berger, the hammer is no longer a simple tool, but becomes an amplifier of effects. The light and transparency of the glass surface are transformed into an intricate network of cracks and fractures that recreate the human face. For Shattering Beauty, in addition to a selection of glass portraits – alternating with mirrors – that challenge the modes of perception, several ‘animated’ canvases embedded in metal cubes will also be presented, inviting a more direct interaction with the installation.
For more details head to the website of the Museo del Vetro here.
Simon Berger
SHATTERING BEAUTY
28.01.2023 – 07.05.2023
Museo del Vetro
Fondamenta Marco Giustinian, 8, 30141 Venezia VE
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