A bright spot in the darkness. From afar you can see our glass tower, but come closer and look: the glass slippers by Japanese artist Simsa Cho spread colour, wonder and imagination in these strange times. The summer exhibition is divided into 3 separate exhibitions. You’ll encounter a new tale about glass on every storey: BKRK award #Glass, Shoerealism and The Residents.
Tip: our professional guides will tell you all about the Summer Exhibition during the free tours in July and August.
More info
BKRK AWARD #Glass
floor -1
In collaboration with Flanders DC, Bokrijk and VAKlab have been presenting a BKRK award for several years, with which craftsmanship is put in the spotlight. This year it’s all about GLASS. It was therefore needless to say that GlazenHuis took a partner role in the organization of the prestigious crafts competition. We supported the 10 nominees with know-how and hands-on in the glass workshop for experimentation and prototyping, together with our own master glassblower Gert Bullée.
In this exhibition glass craft, visual arts and product design meet. Room dividers, lighting fixtures, carafes, jewelery and paintings all make a pitch for first place. Every visitor can give their personal favorite with his or her voice a boost. Together with the public, a professional jury with Pascal Cools (Flanders DC), Axel Van Den Bossche (Serax), Amélie Rombauts (Knack Weekend) and Anna Torfs (Anna Torfs Design), will decide on the laureate.
Nominees: Bea Crèvecoeur, Ruben Deriemaeker (Deri3), Annika Ingelaere (Craftbox), Anouck Kuyckx & Thomas Meers (KUYCKXMEERS), Studio Segers, Myriam Thomas (Mytglassart), Bloe Van Eeckhout, Lies Van Kerckhove (Fragmenture), Ilse Van Roy & Madeli Viljoen (Studio KEEP), Veerle Verschooren
Vote here for your favorite!
The winner will be announced on October 14.
The Shoerealism exhibition opened just before corona measures were tightened up again in Belgium. Chances are that because of that, you may not have been able to take a look. Therefore, this feel-good expo, together with expo The Residents, has been extended until October 10, 2021.
SHOEREALISM
floor 0
Japanese artist Simsa Cho (1962), based in Amsterdam, graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in the Netherlands in 1989. Cho’s artistic experience results in performances and installations where glass artworks with a spiritual character are used as a meditative tool. The relationship between “the body” and “her energy” also translates into autonomous and particularly imaginative objects.
This is how Shoerealism came into being during his student days. Over the course of his 30 year career, it has become a recurring theme that expresses Cho’s boundless fascination for shoes. GlazenHuis is the first museum to present a retrospective: more than forty objects from private and museum collections, including three from the city of Lommel’s urban glass art collection, showcase the wonderful world of glass shoes.
Especially for this occasion Simsa Cho has created a new shoe design in a limited edition of only 10 pieces. It is for sale in the Glasshop.
Curator:
Jeroen Maes (BE)
Artist:
Simsa Cho (JP/NL)
THE RESIDENTS
floor +1
GlazenHuis organises annual residencies (AiR – Artists in Residence) for international glass artists. The residencies emphasise developing knowledge and the artists selected are given access to GlazenHuis’s studio facilities. In return, they donate one of their creations to Lommel’s urban glass art collection. In light of the restrictions around Corona, this summer our own staff and freelance glassblowers took advantage of the residency period. Behold our marvellous home-grown talent.
Artists/designers:
Jente Ruts (BE), Marcel Haccuria (BE), Jeroen Maes (BE), Eric Pipien (BE), Ingrid Arts (BE), Ivo Henkens (BE), Ryoko Sato (JP/BE), An-Valerie Vandromme (BE), Eline Deboiserie (BE)
