Peter Bremers earth dialogue SCHANTZ GALLERIES October 7 - 30, 2016
Peter Bremers earth dialogue
Schantz Galleries c o n t e m p o r a r y g l a s s stockbridge • massachusetts 413-298-3044
schantzgalleries.com Front Cover: Grand Staircase Escalante II, (detail), 2015, 38.5 x 15 x 6.6"
When we travel to other landscapes, countries and cultures not only our outer world changes, but so does our inner world and the way we perceive our planet and fellow beings. Even though this is a very personal process of transformation, I have found that many of my experiences, thoughts and dreams are shared with fellow travelers. The objects pay tribute to mankind and it`s seamlessly never ending journey to a deeper understanding of one self and each other, seeking a harmonious and purposeful life on our planet. —Peter Bremers
EARTH DIALOGUE Peter Bremers
For artist Peter Bremers, the journey is as much about the path as it is the destination. The arc from his early years as a light-sculptor to his present pursuits in glass does not trace a deliberate and fluid line. His odyssey has followed unexpected routes, but his openness to discovery and risk has resulted in heightened creative inspiration. The quest has been both physical—taking him to remote and transformative landscapes, and metaphysical—taking him into a deeper understanding of himself and humankind’s place within the natural world. Along the way, he has developed an astonishing artistic technique and style that reflects the influences of his training and travels. Bremers’ introduction to glass came by accident after he was wellestablished as a light-sculptor, when he wandered into a glassblowing workshop in his hometown of Maastricht, in the Netherlands, and was enthralled by the molten, luminous material. Uncertain about upsetting his successful career, but lured by the siren song of glass, he set about to learn as much as he could about the medium. His interest in light and form never abandoned him, and eventually he found professional success in this new medium.
Iceberg & Paraphernalia, 2010, 17.5 x 12 x 6"
An inspirational voyage aboard a square rigged ship to Antarctica in 2001 was pivotal in carving another new creative path for Bremers. He was enveloped by the vast and awesome power of nature and enthralled by the icebergs, which he likened to drifting sculptures. For an artist for whom light and form have always been paramount, the synthesis of ice, sky, and sea was electric. The white, greys, and blues of the scenery were heightened in the pure air, deepened by the facets and cracks of the ice, and tinged throughout the day by an intense and unexpected palette of purples, reds, and oranges. Bremers describes a harmony between the cold blue of the ice and the warm shades of sunset, which seem to be kept alive inside the blocks. Attempts to conjure the essence of the icebergs—sharp-edged, arced, and profound—in blown glass fell short, compelling Bremers to approach the medium in a new way. He called upon his training as a sculptor by carving the model from blocks of hard industrial foam. When the molds are ready they are carefully filled with colored glass. After the process of kiln -baking and slowly cooling the glass, the forms are unearthed from their protective cocoon, ground and polished to perfection; flawless abstractions of both a landscape and a state of mind are born. Marcel Proust wrote that “the real voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” The deep impact of Bremers’ polar excursions on both his spirit and his art is seen in subsequent series of work. Incandescent, amber-hued glass forms inspired by his frequent travels to Sedona and the American West reverberate with the warmth of an entirely different vista. The Grand Staircase Escalante, in Utah, is a significant geological formation in which eons of the Earth’s history is preserved, and visible in the rock, allowing humans a long view at nature’s development and putting their place in the universe in perspective.
Two Sisters Canyon, 2015, 21.5 x 20 x 7.6"
In a recent series entitled Inward Journey, Bremers’ embodies Proust’s assertion that through new experiences we receive “new eyes.” Instead of reflecting an earthly trip, the Inward Journey pieces travel to a mystical, inner space. He has written that these objects “pay tribute to mankind and its never ending journey to a deeper understanding of oneself and each other, seeking a harmonious and purposeful life on our planet.” While Bremers’ work often achieves an impressive feeling of place—whether icy-blue glaciers or russet-red rocks—his goal is not to merely show us how something looks. His recent metaphorical works prove him to be more than a landscape artist. Instead, he evokes awe—both literal and spiritual—so that we may better understand our majestic planet and more viscerally experience our journey within it. Through this heightened relationship with Earth’s most majestic and precarious spaces, Bremers has gained and instills an elevated sense of responsibility for its preservation.
Jeanne Koles is an independent museum professional with a focus on cultural communications.
Ocular I, 2016, 18.5 x 14.6 x 4"
Iceberg & Paraphernalia, 2004, 16 x 24 x 4�
Opposite: Iceberg & Paraphernalia, 2010, 34 x 23.5 x 5"
Iceberg & Paraphernalia, 2007, 24 x 9.6 x 5.2"
Opposite: Icebergs & Paraphernalia 117, 2007, 36 x 28 x 9" Exhibited at The Nature of Glass, at Chesterwood National Trust, 2016.
Ice Cube, 2013, 8.7 x 14 x 4"
Ice Cube, 2013, 9 x 12 x 7"
Opposite: Iceberg, 2014, 24 x 12 x 5"
Waves, 2015, 27.5 x 43.5 x 4"
Transformations VII, 2013, 40 x 17 x 7"
Traveling XI, 2014, 27 x 32 x 4"
Transformation III, 2013, Cast glass, 8 x 22 x 8"
Opposite: The Last Iceberg, 2015, 34.5 x 32 x 6"
Grand Staircase Escalante I, 2015, Cast glass, 48.5 x 12 x 8"
Zion, 2015, 30 x 16.5 x 8"
Shell, 2016, Cast glass, 16 x 26 x 4"
Ocular II, 2016, Cast glass, 16 x 20.5 x 3.9"
In many non-Western cultures it is customary to perform small daily rituals to pay homage to nature, ensure good harvests, propitiate the weather gods, pacify the ocean or give thanks to Mother Earth through music and dance. In the Western world, it would appear that our sense of intimacy with nature and wonder at its beauty is being submerged amid mounting anxiety about global warming and the dramatic impact of climate change. We see the natural world as something separate from ourselves; exploit its gifts without restraint for economic gain, and by doing so turn it from an age-old friend into a hostile force. We show little trace of gratitude and seem to forget that we are ourselves merely part of nature. When traveling to the Antarctic for the first time, I can only say that the overwhelming emotion I felt when a mother whale with her calf swam alongside our boat and looked me long and hard in the eye was a life-changing experience. As was my sense of insignificance in the face of the savage energy of the oceans and of delight at the sight of yet another majestic sunrise over a landscape of drifting icebergs, the Creator’s own magnificent sculpture park. How can I express my awe and gratitude for this inexhaustible source of inspiration other than by trying to depict the awesome power and majesty of nature in my sculpture? Not aiming to imitate or equal it, but simply to express my sense of wonder as a human being and an artist. ~ Peter Bremers
Canyons & Deserts – Owachomo, 2010, 10.63 x 25.2 x 4.72"
Peter Bremers in his studio.
Selected Collections
Boymans van Beuningen Museum, Rotterdam, NL Den Haag, Gemeentemuseum, NL Dutch Ministry of Justice, NL Glasmuseet Ebeltoft, Denmark Glasmuseum Alter Hof Herding, Coesfeld Lette, Germany Kunst und Gewerbe Museum Hamburg, Germany Kunstgewerbe Museum, Berlin, Germany Mobile Museum, Mobile, USA
Museo de Arte en Vidrio MAVA, Madrid, Spain Museum Jan van der Togt, Amstelveen, NL National Glassmuseum Leerdam, NL National Liberty Museum Philadelphia, USA Nationale Nederlanden Assurantien, Rotterdam, NL Palm Springs Art Museum, USA Ringling School of Art and Design, Basch Gallery, Sarasota, FL, USA Seven Bridges Foundation, Greenwich, USA
Activities 1998 1999 2003 2004 2005-09 2006 2008 2009 2010
Guest designer; Royal Leerdam Crystal, Ver. Glasfabrieken, NL Tutor Design; Department of Fine Arts, Maastricht University, NL Guest tutor and lecturer; Ausglass Conference, workshop with Neil Wilkin, Perth, Australia PUM representative expert; Ethiopian Reflections Company, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Guest speaker; Rufford Glass Symposium, Newark, England PUM representative expert, Ngwenya Glass Company, Mbabane, Swaziland Tutor Design; Department of Fine Arts, Maastricht University, NL Guest speaker; London Glassblowing Symposium, England Guest tutor; Tshwane University, Pretoria, South-Africa Guest tutor; Tshingua University of Beijing, China PUM representative; Happy Unique Ceramics Centre, Accra, Ghana Guest tutor; Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey Member of the Jury, International Ceramiques and Glass Art Film festival, Montpellier, France
Peter Bremers earth dialogue SCHANTZ GALLERIES October 7 - 30, 2016
Photo credits: Nele Seibel and Paul Niessen Essay: Jeanne Koles Design: Silver City Design and Publications ©Schantz Galleries 2016 3 Elm Street, Stockbridge, MA 01292 (413)298-3044 www.schantzgalleries.com Opposite: Ocular I, (detail), 2016, 18.5 x 14.6 x 4" Back Cover: Grand Staircase Escalante l, 2016, 48.5 x 12 x 8"
Peter Bremers earth dialogue
Schantz Galleries c o n t e m p o r a r y g l a s s stockbridge • massachusetts 413-298-3044
schantzgalleries.com