Artist of the Month
September 2024
Aya Oki
Born in Osaka, Japan, Aya Oki is a glass art artist now working in San Bernardino, CA. The artist is best known for her blown glass “bouquets:” collections of fused, blown forms layered with strands of polychromatic glass canework. Aya is represented by Duane Reed Gallery, St. Louis, MO, where an exhibition of Oki’s work runs September 13 to October 12.
Click on each photo to the right for a full picture.
Bloom IX, 2023; 15 x 15 x 13.5 inches; blown glass
Bloom VI, 2021; 13 x 12 x 12 inches; blown glass
Bloom X, 2021; 17 x 15 x 15 inches; blown glass
Fate XV, 2019; 12 x 13 x 13 inches; blown glass
Fate XXVIII, 2019; 16 x 17 x 16 inches; blown glass
Fate, 2019; 10 x 11 x 11 inches; blown glass
Opt VI, 2018, 17 x 18 x 10 inches; blown glass
Opt, 2017; 12 x 18 x 10 inches; blown glass
Aya Oki
About Aya Oki
Aya Oki is a Japanese artist based in San Bernardino, California. Her technique of glass blowing is intended to express the true charm of glass. Her personal approach is born during the conversation she has while interacting with each piece. Her work is created out of her desire to convey the real pleasure of blown glass. Her practice prioritizes the pleasure and levity of the process of making in addition to the final result.
Aya completed her undergraduate and master’s degrees in glass at the Aichi University of Education, Japan and her dream of studying abroad in the US led her to go to California State University, San Bernardino before completing her MFA at Rochester Institute of Technology in 2014. Since then, she has been traveling the world as an artist and an educator.
Oki’s signature forms begin with a single base of blown glass, accentuated with dozens of glass bubbles. Using heat and a cycle of inhaling and exhaling, the artist draws glass pockets into the interior cavity of the base form, then encases the exterior with a network of additional vesicles. The artist assembles her work organically, often improvising in conversation with the material. In conjunction with the polish and precision of the glass process, Oki also prioritizes the presence of joy and maker’s inspiration in the execution of each piece.
Oki incorporates teaching, residencies, and community building into her practice, as well as maintaining role as studio assistant to Katherine Gray. She has been collected by The Museum of American Glass, the Corning Museum of Glass, the Tacoma Museum of Glass, and was most recently displayed at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris as a finalist for the 2024 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize.
Click here for an artist's CV.
Acknowledgment of Gallery:
We are grateful to Duane Reed Gallery, St. Louis, Missouri, for providing the Artist of the Month.
The Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to further the development and appreciation of art made from glass.
The Alliance informs collectors, critics and curators by encouraging and supporting museum exhibitions, university glass departments and specialized teaching programs, regional collector groups, visits to private collections, and public seminars.
