JOSH HERSHMAN
Born almost blind, Joshua Hershman underwent years of vision therapy to train his visual cortex to comprehend peripheral vision and depth perception. Through this process, he became acutely aware of the curious nature of visual anomalies and light distortions. In these works, he explores the relationship between vision, light, and the photographic process. Using cast and polished glass, Hershman discovers the optical aspects of the material and plays with the mechanics of vision.
“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.” — Dorothea Lange
The traditional film camera has all but disappeared from the contemporary landscape. It sits as an analogue relic from a bygone era, but also serves as a critical historic object, as an evolutionary pivot, which ushered us into our current image-obsessed world. By casting vintage film cameras as hollow forms within a solid block of glass, Hershman is highlighting the technology’s lost physicality, the invisible ‘magic’ of the craft based photographic process and the camera’s role in transmuting our visual perception of the world.
Biography
Josh began working with glass at 17. He is a graduate of the craft and design program at Sheridan College in Ontario, Canada; and has a BFA with distinction from the California College of the Arts in Oakland, California, and an MFA from Alfred University in New York.
Josh’s work has received numerous awards and was included in the 2021 Toyama International Glass Exhibition in Japan, Berengo Studio’s Glass Stress exhibition at Milles Garden Museum in Stockholm Sweden, the Museum of Glass’s first LGBTQ+ exhibition titled Transparency, and Young Glass 2017 which traveled throughout Europe.
His work has been accepted into the permanent collection of the Museum of Glass in Tacoma Washington, the Ebeltoft Museum in Denmark, and the National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia. Hershman has been invited to participate in several artist-in-residence programs including North Lands Creative Glass in Scotland, D&L Art Glass in Colorado, the Appalachian Center for Craft in Tennessee, and Southern Illinois University in Illinois. Hershman has taught his craft extensively and worked for many years at Berengo Studios. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California.
1. Blue Taupo (Leica m3) , 2023
$3350
Lead crystal, Steel blue glass; lost wax cast, acid etched, polished; 138 x 78 x 72mm. Photo: Lancelot Cheshire
Photos:
2. Pink Otago (Hasselblad 500 C/M), 2023
$6950
Lead crystal, Pink glass; lost wax cast, acid etched, polished; 160 x 103 x 100mm.
Lancelot Cheshire
3. Blue Hauroko (Nikon F with macro lens), 2023 $6550
Lead crystal, Steel Blue glass; lost wax cast, acid etched, polished; 153 x 108 x 105mm.
Photo: Lancelot Cheshire
4. Purple Jacaranda (Nikon F with 35mm lens), 2023 $6550
Lead crystal, Purple glass; lost wax cast, acid etched, polished; 152 x 105 x 100mm.
Photo: Lancelot Cheshire
5. Pink Aroha (Canon Mark III), 2023 $7250
Lead crystal Fuschia glass; lost wax cast, acid etched, polished; 145 x 125 x 155mm.
Photo: Lancelot Cheshire
6. Yellow kōwhai (Kowa Six), 2023
$7250
Lead crystal, Yellow glass; lost wax cast, acid etched, polished; 145 x 115 x 130mm. Photos: Lancelot Cheshire
7. Blue Obscura, 2023
$16,200
Lead crystal Pale Cobalt glass; lost wax cast, acid etched, polished; 250 x 180 x 200mm