European Exhibition Premiere: Glass.China

Contemporary Glass from China at the Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung in Munich

The Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung in Munich is dedicating its next large exhibition to a totally unknown subject in Europe: contemporary glass from China. Under the title Glass.China, it will be showing more than forty objects and large photographs by significant Chinese artists as well as by the German film artist and photographer Ulrike Ottinger from 7 November 2008 to 7 November 2009.

China is worldwide the biggest producer of industrial glass but art works in the medium glass are known at best from the Qing Dynasty in the seventeenth century. What happens in a country like China that takes a new focus on culture? The art market booms and has taken on an almost explosive dynamic within just a few years. Contemporary glass, in contrast, is still completely unknown. But much is happening here – even if it is not yet known. On her trip to China, Eva-Maria Fahrner-Tutsek, Chair of the Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung, discovered first works of the present. The idea for an exhibition in Munich was born.

On subsequent trips to China, Eva-Maria Fahrner-Tutsek followed up with detective-like research during many personal encounters and conversations with artists, art professors, and art dealers. Her first impression was confirmed: Contemporary glass is an absolute rarity on the Chinese art market.

Chinese contemporary glass is considered by experts as one of the most exciting fields of our times. The renowned Time Magazine dedicated an article only recently on the phenomenon of contemporary glass in China and pointed out the considerable number of young talented artists. Eva-Maria Fahrner Tutsek: "I would like to contribute by bringing these new art works out of the dark and making them well-known in the West."

A New Artistic Departure

A cross section of this exciting and for the most part still unknown artistic departure is now on view in Munich: Glass.China shows recent works, which were made mostly in the past two years, and thus brings these new discoveries to Germany.

Eva-Maria Fahrner-Tutsek: "The use of glass as a medium is new in Chinese art. Chinese culture is searching for impulses in the western world. It does not, however, copy these. Instead it uses them as a source of inspiration and interprets them with its own handwriting. The young generation of artists combines the new with old Chinese traditions. The statement and the symbolism are the main focus."

The American art expert Susanne Frantz makes an in-depth analysis of the development of contemporary glass in China in the catalogue being published in conjunction with the exhibition. Susanne Frantz: "When speaking with the members of China’s glass community, one still feels an excitement and enthusiasm that has waned in other Studio Glass locales. There is also a sense of urgency – to catch up and to grow – not only technically, but also philosophically. Just when we thought that we had seen everything, another chapter is being written in he history of glass.“

Making the Essential Visible:

Photographic Works by Ulrike Ottinger

The large works from China by the film artist and photographer Ulrike Ottinger are the first photographs shown by the Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung. The poetic photo works by Ottinger provide a stark contrast to the commonly known China photography. She develops a dialogue with the sculptures by young Chinese artists.

Ulrike Ottinger, who lives in Berlin, is considered one of Germany's most high-profile filmmakers. She has received numerous prizes for her works, including the prize by German film critics for Prater as the best documentary last year. At the same time she is working on several photo projects.

The Foundation:

Contemporary Glass of the Highest Quality

The Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung was founded in Munich in December 2002. The background: When Alexander Tutsek and his wife Eva-Maria Fahrner-Tutsek - who had both always been enthusiastic about the material glass - started building up their private collection of studio glass, they quickly realized that this medium had not yet found its place in the art world. Studio glass is a young art form that is not yet popular here - in contrast to the art scene in America and in some European countries.

With the goal of supporting contemporary glass and on the basis of their own professional experience, they developed the wish to support scientific research in areas such as glass, ceramics, stones, and earths.

An important area the foundation is working on is the development of a high-quality collection of contemporary glass and new this year - photography. The collection encompasses as wide as possible a range of the predominant contemporary movements, represented by works by internationally renowned artists.

Eva-Maria Fahrner-Tutsek: "Only when a broader public is aware of the artistic possibilities inherent in glass and a market similar to that in the USA develops, only then can studio glass in Germany grow out of the local dimension and really flourish as an art form in Europe."

Catalogue in Conjunction with the Exhibition:

E.-M. Fahrner-Tutsek,
Glass.China
(2009). Edition EMF published by Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung.
English and German edition with contributions by Eva-Maria Fahrner-Tutsek, Susanne Frantz, Xue Lue, and Katharina Sykora.
146 pages, 60 color plates. EUR 24.00.
ISBN 978-3-7220-02-4

The press photos on CD as well as the catalogue will be sent to you upon request.
The press release and the photos can also be downloaded from our website.

Press Contact:

Horst Koppelstätter

Koppelstätter Kommunikation GmbH
Friedrichstraße 2
76530 Baden-Baden | Germany

Phone: +49-7221-97372-0
Fax: +49-7221-97372-22
E-Mail: hok@koppelstaetter-kommunikation.de

Information:

Address:
Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung
Karl-Theodor-Straße 27
80803 München | Germany
Contact:
Phone: +49-89-343856
Fax: +49-89-342876
info@atutsek-stiftung.de
www.atutsek-stiftung.de
Press preview:
by appointment
Opening:
7 November, 2008    6.00 pm
Duration of exhibition:
7 November 2008 to 7 November, 2009
Opening ours:
Tuesday to Thursday 10 am to 1.30 pm and by appointment
Public transport:
Subway to the stops Münchner Freiheit or Bonner Platz

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