Glass artist：Guan Donghai

No one knows precisely when or where glass was first produced. Glass seems to have been manufactured as far back as the second millennium B.C. by the Egyptians and perhaps the Phoenicians. The Bible, compares glass to gold. Today, glass is a common necessity. It is also the basis of an art form. It has special flexibility and changes its qualities under different temperatures. It is a medium for artists. Guan Donghai, known as a glass artist, not only sculptures the fragile material into beautiful shapes and colors, but also endows it with new meaning.











GuanDonghaisaid,"I'vebeenseekingafeelofgrandeur,
aestheticismandcivility.Ifoundtheseelementsinancient
China'sbronzevesselsandarchitecture.Thesearepartof
theuniquebeautyofChina.ButIdon'timitatetraditional
aesthetics.Ireinterprettheminmyownway.Glassisa
fictilematerial.

It's hard to recognize the common characteristics of glass, "glittery", "transparent", and "fragile" while facing the works of Guan Donghai. The pieces look more like bronze, pottery, marble,and fossils. They exude an enduring toughness.

Guan Donghai said, "I've been seeking a feel of grandeur, aestheticism and civility. I found these elements in ancient China's bronze vessels and architecture. These are part of the unique beauty of China. But I don't imitate traditional aesthetics. I reinterpret them in my own way. Glass is a fictile material. It can be changed into different shapes. So I was thinking how can it be sculpted to express the concept of power.I try to make glass that looks heavy and opaque. I also patch transparent and opaque glasses together. I even combine glass with other materials, like bronze, stone and wood. Thus the diversity of glass artwork can be realized."

The emblems of Chinese culture and history are apparent in Guan's glass pieces. He's only been working in the field for eight years but he's established a style of his own. He's created two glass series, "Gates" and "Weapon". The works have earned him an international reputation.