I Santillana
19 Nov 2014 - 29 Mar 2015
I SANTILLANA
Presented by Le Stanze del Vetro and Fondazione Giorgio Cini
19 November 2014 – 29 March 2015
Curator Rainald Franz, Curator, MAK Glass and Ceramics Collection
Laura de Santillana and Alessandro Diaz de Santillana have chosen glass as their medium, and their work is consciously aligned with contemporary art practices. This exhibition at the MAK offers the very first insight into the works of the Santillana siblings ever presented in Austria.
Laura de Santillana (born 1955) and Alessandro Diaz de Santillana (born 1959) epitomize the ideal synthesis of a perfect understanding for the craft, extensive knowledge of the material, and free artistic formfinding. They are the grandchildren of Paolo Venini, founder of the Venini glass company, which was established in 1921 on the island of Murano; hence, the siblings were raised in one of the most significant glassmaker families in Venice. They both worked as designers in the family business. From 1993, they turned their attention away from functional objects and devoted themselves exclusively to art. Today, the Santillana siblings rank among the most high-profile proponents of liberal glass art. They both understand glass as an autonomous material of artistic expression, which—like other materials—can serve formfinding.
Freestanding, space-consuming sculptures and anthropomorphic forms dominate the presentation of Laura de Santillana’s work in the MAK. A large steel table with a group of abstract glass Buddha heads stands alongside a white bookcase holding 40 “books” made of glass. Just like a library, here is a synopsis of the numerous colors and surface textures that the artist developed under identical production conditions in a series over the last 15 years. Also on display are Laura’s voluminous slabs, which have a powerful physicality, suggesting that the enclosed space has the potential to be crushed.
The wall objects by Alessandro Diaz de Santillana shown in the MAK reflect the history of hand blown Venetian plate and window glass and the effect of ancient, now “blind” mirrors. Paintings on black mirror glass reduce a subject to diverse shades of black and gray, conveying the impression that they are part of a larger aesthetic dialog. Alessandro’s wall objects enter into a spatial counterpart with Laura’s sculptures. A series of videos in the exhibition shows visitors how the glassworks are made in the glass furnace by the Santillana siblings.
In dialog with the objects of the MAK Permanent Collection Vienna 1900, the works of Laura de Santillana and Alessandro Diaz de Santillana are given a separate, new meaning. Involuntarily, you can’t help but think of the huge influence that the designs of Viennese modernism—and particularly Josef Hoffmann—had on the work of Carlo Scarpa. Between 1932 and 1947, Scarpa designed glassworks for Paolo Venini. The way the Santillanas evolved into autonomous artists has many parallels with the artistic design of everyday objects in Vienna around 1900. Viewed in this light, the works by the Santillana siblings resume the positions of Viennese modernism.
Presented by Le Stanze del Vetro and Fondazione Giorgio Cini
19 November 2014 – 29 March 2015
Curator Rainald Franz, Curator, MAK Glass and Ceramics Collection
Laura de Santillana and Alessandro Diaz de Santillana have chosen glass as their medium, and their work is consciously aligned with contemporary art practices. This exhibition at the MAK offers the very first insight into the works of the Santillana siblings ever presented in Austria.
Laura de Santillana (born 1955) and Alessandro Diaz de Santillana (born 1959) epitomize the ideal synthesis of a perfect understanding for the craft, extensive knowledge of the material, and free artistic formfinding. They are the grandchildren of Paolo Venini, founder of the Venini glass company, which was established in 1921 on the island of Murano; hence, the siblings were raised in one of the most significant glassmaker families in Venice. They both worked as designers in the family business. From 1993, they turned their attention away from functional objects and devoted themselves exclusively to art. Today, the Santillana siblings rank among the most high-profile proponents of liberal glass art. They both understand glass as an autonomous material of artistic expression, which—like other materials—can serve formfinding.
Freestanding, space-consuming sculptures and anthropomorphic forms dominate the presentation of Laura de Santillana’s work in the MAK. A large steel table with a group of abstract glass Buddha heads stands alongside a white bookcase holding 40 “books” made of glass. Just like a library, here is a synopsis of the numerous colors and surface textures that the artist developed under identical production conditions in a series over the last 15 years. Also on display are Laura’s voluminous slabs, which have a powerful physicality, suggesting that the enclosed space has the potential to be crushed.
The wall objects by Alessandro Diaz de Santillana shown in the MAK reflect the history of hand blown Venetian plate and window glass and the effect of ancient, now “blind” mirrors. Paintings on black mirror glass reduce a subject to diverse shades of black and gray, conveying the impression that they are part of a larger aesthetic dialog. Alessandro’s wall objects enter into a spatial counterpart with Laura’s sculptures. A series of videos in the exhibition shows visitors how the glassworks are made in the glass furnace by the Santillana siblings.
In dialog with the objects of the MAK Permanent Collection Vienna 1900, the works of Laura de Santillana and Alessandro Diaz de Santillana are given a separate, new meaning. Involuntarily, you can’t help but think of the huge influence that the designs of Viennese modernism—and particularly Josef Hoffmann—had on the work of Carlo Scarpa. Between 1932 and 1947, Scarpa designed glassworks for Paolo Venini. The way the Santillanas evolved into autonomous artists has many parallels with the artistic design of everyday objects in Vienna around 1900. Viewed in this light, the works by the Santillana siblings resume the positions of Viennese modernism.