Artist of the Month
March 2019
Vladimir Zbynovsky
Slovakian-born sculptor Vladimir Zbynowsky first worked in stone before he discovered glass as an artistic medium. He now works with both, the combination of which complements each material. The transparent glass hugs the crevices of the mineral and magnifies them, while the stone accentuates glass’ inherent properties: a flawless crystalline appearance, extreme ductility, and its animating play with light. Zbynowsky is represented by Continuum Gallery, Konigswinter, Germany.
Click on each photo to the right for a full picture.
Spirit of Stone – square, 2016; 47 x 40 x 25 cm; yellow optical glass, granite
A Captor, 2013; 120 x 50 x 40 cm; clear optical glass, granite
Spirit of Stone, 2004; 30 x 50 x 15 cm; blue optical glass, grey granite
Spirit of Stone - blade, 2014; 36 x 43 x 36 cm; pink optical glass, green granite
Spirit of Stone – white glass, 2004; 38 x 30 x 22 cm; clear optical glass, granite
Myriad, 2015; 53 x 19 x 19 cm; yellow optical glass, limestone
Aura of the Stone, 2009; 58 x 76 x 16 cm; optical glass, granite
Vladimir Zbynovsky
Artist Statement:
“Glass has given meaning to my existence and continues to do so. It has, in its own way, re-oriented my artistic development, directed my personal life, and has strangely never ceased to make me yield its potential, and to serve it by expressing its most complex and hidden aspects. Glass is not a tranquil medium, it pushes the artist towards the outside to inhabit space, to recreate space. What is the filiation of such a creation? Stone and magma, the spiritual spark which flashes at the heart of past era, the lamp which burns eternal in the ruined temple. The artist, heir to a Celtic and Mediterranean heritage which each of us revisits unwittingly, indefinitely, carries on the millennial spark, the fusion of elements, the interlacing of civilizations.
"Luminous recreation, carrier, and entity, glass is also a material that accompanies man in his march, from the earliest Mesopotamian glass paste through to fiber optics, tirelessly renewing the bond created at the world’s dawn between man and his desire for purity, hidden part of light, and transparency.”
(Photo caption): Altar, 2018, optic glass, travertine stone, installed in The Basillica Cathedral of Saint-Denis in Paris, France. Photo by Peter Zupnik.
About Vladimir Zbynovsky
Vladimir Zbynovsky was born in Bratislava, Slovakia, on November 28, 1964. After completing his secondary education at the Bratislava institute of Decorative Arts (1980-1984) where he concentrated on working with stone, he began to specialize in the art of glass at the Bratislava Institute of Fine Arts (1985-1991; diploma: 1991). A study trip to the Olivier de Serres School of Applied Arts (Paris) allowed him to refine certain techniques. In 1991 he was awarded the Amber Way prize for his university work.
In 1993, he settled in France. The following year, he received a grant from the SEMA (Société d’encouragement aux métiers d’art) with a view to deepening his research into the coloring of glass. From that moment on, Zbynovsky participated in a number of group exhibitions and refined his collaboration with international galleries (Galerie Internationale du Verre-Serge Lechaczynski –Biot, France; Etienne & van den Doel gallery- Den Haag- The Netherlands; Plateaux Gallery-London…), participating notably in international arts fairs (SOFA New York & Chicago; PAN Amsterdam; Kunstrai Amsterdam; Collect; London Art Fair).
Turned towards the working of glass in all its aspects, mixing hot and cold techniques – casting, fusing, carving, polishing - the artist attempts to draw near to the mysteries of the Universe through his creations. The theme of his degree, entitled “the birth of Light” lies at the root of a perpetual search centered on transparency, the inner nature of the object, and its luminous virtuallity. “Birth of Light, Aura of stone, Spirit of stone,” the cycles of creation follow one another, evoking this attempt to marry stone and glass, heaviness and transparency, diurnal and nocturnal reflection of Psyche.
The artist’s works go beyond the limiting confines of utility or mere display; his creations often take on architectural dimension and seek to inhabit, modify, or create space. Combining the task of sculpting stones with the subtle and delicate sculpting of glass, Vladimir Zbynovsky gives to his work an innovative character where shapes and outlines become dreamlike matter.
Click here for an artist's CV.
Acknowledgment of Gallery:
We are grateful to Continuum Gallery, Konigswinter, Germany, for providing the materials for 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.
