Artist of the Month
June 2021
Jeffrey Sarmiento
Jeffrey Sarmiento was recently appointed senior lecturer at Australian National University's School of Art & Design. Previously, he served as Reader in Glass at the University of Sunderland (UK), where he was awarded a PhD in 2011. Educated at the Rhode Island School of Design, he has worked internationally as a Fulbright Fellow in Denmark, a visiting artist at UrbanGlass, and an instructor at Pilchuck Glass School. Jeffrey is represented by Bullseye Projects, Portland, Oregon.
Click on each photo to the right for a full picture.
Liverpool Map, 2010; by Jeffrey Sarmiento and Inge Panneels; permanent installation at the Museum of Liverpool, England; glass. Photo: Simon Bruntnell
Liverpool Map, 2010 (detail); by Jeffrey Sarmiento and Inge Panneels; permanent installation at the Museum of Liverpool, England; glass.
Tower Block I, 2008; 9.875 x 34.5 x 1.25 inches installed; waterjet cut, enameled, and fused glass
Tower Block I, 2008 (detail); 9.875 x 34.5 x 1.25 inches installed; waterjet cut, enameled, and fused glass
Sketchbook 2, 2005; 6.25 x 6.5 x 2.5 inches; cast and enameled glass
Encyclopaedia (Swim), 2018; 82 x 12 x 22 cm; screenprinted and fused glass; Encyclopaedia is an ongoing body of work exploring repositories of knowledge and experience.
Encyclopaedia, 2018; 21 x 15 x 7.5 cm each; screenprinted and fused glass
Encyclopaedia Form 1, 2019; 35 x 20 x 20 cm; screenprinted and cast glass; based on a 3D scan of the artist’s head, screenprinted images are layered and fused into a mould in which imagery shifts and warps in the melting process
Occupation, 2008; 21.25 x 42.5 x 1.875 inches; fused and waterjet cut glass
Occupation, 2008 (detail); 21.25 x 42.5 x 1.875 inches; fused and waterjet cut glass
Unclassified Volume (Periphery), 2010; 8 x 5.875 x 1.875 inches; enameled and fused glass
Centre, 2019; 200 x 80 x 5 cm; waterjet cut mirror on wood; commissioned for an exhibition at National Glass Centre
Slither, 2013 Screenprinted, cut and fused glass 130 x 89 x 1 cm photo David Williams Inspired by lenticular imagery, the grossly enlarged image of a common garden snake appears and disappears as the viewer approaches the work, allowing it to ‘slither’ along the wall
Rope Factory, 2013; 2000 x 122 x 45 cm; screenprinted and fabricated glass, handmade Norwegian rope, wood, aluminum; inspired by the remains of maritime industry in Norway, the sculpture is an absurdly long model of a piece of archaic architecture
Jeffrey Sarmiento
Artist Statement:
Inspired by ethnography, my artwork visualizes a search for belonging—the attempt to understand my place in the world. “Research” takes place in cultures foreign to me. I observe, translate, participate, and struggle to comprehend and fit in. This process forces me to evaluate and question what I know. I collect and build up layers of information to show the density of my experience. I carve it away to reveal new and complex readings. Comprised of multiple images embedded in the glass object, my work is quite literally the fusion of form and content. As I move from place to place, the work takes on the characteristic of mapping. But the maps I make don’t always point from one place to another. Instead, the works show a cultural terrain. Histories are brought together, and what is foreign is transformed into the familiar. The work is my way of creating a unique connection with the local environment. - Jeffrey Sarmiento
About Jeffrey Sarmiento
Jeffrey Sarmiento, a Chicago native, was recently appointed senior lecturer at Australian National University's School of Art & Design. Previously, he held the position of Reader in Glass at the University of Sunderland (UK), where he was awarded a PhD in 2011. Educated at the Rhode Island School of Design, he has worked as a Fulbright Fellow in Denmark, a visiting artist at UrbanGlass, and an instructor at Pilchuck Glass School.
Sarmiento is currently in preparation for Passage at The Byre, a group exhibition in northern Scotland featuring site-specific installations by Stine Bidstrup, Æsa Björk, Matt Durran, Jeffrey Sarmiento, and Petr Stanický. Learn more at: https://www.bullseyeprojects.com/exhibitions/308/overview/.
Known for his creative practice exploring cultural identity and the graphic image in glass, Sarmiento embeds layers of information in his intricately constructed objects, sculptures, and public commissions. The cutting and pasting of printed glass involves kilnformed lenticular imagery and a graphic "swim" within the transparent medium.
He won the International Glass Prize 2012 at GlazenHuis, Belgium, and his 2013 solo exhibition at National Glass Centre in Sunderland toured to the USA. His collaborative work was included in Glasstress Gotika at the 56th Venice Biennale. Sarmiento has recently been a guest critic at UMPRUM Academy in Prague, Czech Republic, a jury member for Young Glass at Ebeltoft Glasmuseum, and a co-curator for European Glass Context. Learn more and view additional works at: https://www.jeffreysarmiento.co.uk.
Click here for an artist's resume.
Click here for a virtual studio visit with Jeffrey Sarmiento, led by curator Michael Endo.
Acknowledgment of Gallery:
We are grateful to Bullseye Projects, Portland, Oregon, 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.
