BODY x glass

Iwata Rury (1951) is the granddaughter of Iwata Tōshichi, a pioneer of contemporary glass art in Japan, and the daughter of Hisatoshi and Itoko who continued Tōshichi’s work.  Brought up within a glassmaking environment she studied metal casting at the Tokyo University of the Arts before beginning her activities as a glass artist.

To date, she has produced a wide range of works, from items to be used in daily life to large-scale installations incorporating different media, such as combinations of glass with metal or hemp rope. The beautiful colors and the soft movements of the glass are created as she fashions the molten glass into three-dimensional forms.  In particular, the works in which the artist uses her own height and the size of her hand as standard measures, seem to possess a life force of their own, as if they comprise part of her body.  People often feel overpowered by the strong sense of presence and energy they experience within these objects and this is probably because they are confronted indirectly by the artist herself.

The exhibition will feature 25 works created between 1989 and 2003, consisting of both large-scale cast works, that the artist refers to as ‘sculptural works’, and ‘craft works’, that take the form of vessels. It will present the varied world of expression created by IWATA Rury, who employs her total mastery of ‘hot work’ to demonstrate her unique formative sense.

Organizer
Toyama Glass Art Museum

Contact

Toyama Glass Art Museum
bijutsukan-01@city.toyama.lg.jp