Venetian-born artist Massimo Micheluzzi has had a lifelong love affair with glass, turning the classic material into dynamic contemporary art over the years. London gallery Willer is celebrating this bond with a summertime exposé of 25 of his vessels.
Starting his story with the likes of master glassmakers Venini back in the 1990s, he has since been experimenting with his own handmade, complex techniques. Often drawing on the sought after intricacy of mosaics that appear on floors across the cathedrals, old housing and courtyards of Italy, he produces this effect on his voluptuous vessels. But while we may presume these would look archaic and dated, Micheluzzi applies a refined modernism.
‘There’s a form of alchemy involved in working with this material and countless secrets to be discovered,’ Micheluzzi explains. ‘My work recalls the atmosphere of Venice, the lagoon, the silvery waterways and the cloudy skies. I use glass to convey a feeling of motion.’ This romance resonates throughout the Willer collections, which are all painstakingly created in his studio – from the wondrous curves and ripples of his transparent 'Iridescent' collection to the abstract terrazzo pattern sculptures in the newest 'Mosaico' collection.
Micheluzzi also offers up the the key to a lasting (and successful) relationship with the material: ‘If you truly love glass, and really try to understand its needs, it will reveal its infinite creative possibility a bit at a time. My mission is to elicit more confidence from the material, hoping that slowly it will reveal its secrets to me.’
He draws on the intricacy of mosaics, that appear on the floors of Italian cathedrals and courtyards, for his voluptuous vessels
‘My work recalls the atmosphere of Venice, the lagoon, the silvery waterways and the cloudy skies. I use glass to convey a feeling of motion,’ says Micheluzzi of his handcrafted wares
INFORMATION
'Massimo Micheluzzi: Mosaico' is on view until 30 July. For more information, visit the Willer website (opens in new tab)
ADDRESS
Willer
12–14 Holland Street
London, W8 4LT
VIEW GOOGLE MAPS (opens in new tab)
-
Stanya Kahn’s Frieze Los Angeles commission to unearth the ‘understory’ of human intervention in natureWe speak to multidisciplinary artist Stanya Kahn, whose ‘Understory’ installation will be unveiled at Frieze Los Angeles for the 2023 R.U.in.ART Commission
-
On your marks: the best looking sports watches
Choose the right sports watch for you, for its capabilites or its tools for outdoor adventure, bringing the greatest physical and mental benefits
-
Onitsuka Tiger hosts British artist Michele Fletcher in its in-store gallery
Michele Fletcher is the latest artist to show in Onitsuka Tiger’s open-to-all Tiger Gallery, found within the Japanese brand’s London flagship
-
Seven exhibitions to welcome London’s Centre for British Photography
Opening on 25 January 2023, the new Centre for British Photography in London is set to build on the Hyman Collection and will be holding seven shows, on until 30 April
-
Royal College of Physicians Museum presents its archives in a glowing new light
London photography exhibition ‘Unfamiliar’, at the Royal College of Physicians Museum (23 January – 28 July 2023), presents clinical tools as you’ve never seen them before
-
London art exhibitions: a guide for early 2023
Your guide to the best London art exhibitions, and those around the UK, as chosen by the Wallpaper* arts desk
-
‘Strange Clay’ review: a mucky, uncanny, visceral survey of ceramic art
At London’s Hayward Gallery, group show ‘Strange Clay: Ceramics in Contemporary Art’ sees ceramic artists explore the physical, psychological, political and power of their medium
-
Ai Weiwei to sign blank sheets of paper with UV ink for Refugees International in London this weekend
To mark Human Rights Day (10 December 2022), Ai Weiwei will take to Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park to sign sheets of A4 paper in UV ink, distributed free. We interview the artist to find out more
-
Home, the London art initiative championing BIPOC artists, launches appeal to save the space
Home, one of the few art spaces in London supporting Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic artists, has launched an urgent appeal to stay alive
-
The art fair personality test: what type of Art Basel Miami Beach visitor are you?
Are you a selfie seeker or a champagne visualist? Take our art fair personality test to identify yourself at Art Basel Miami Beach (1-3 December)
-
The World Reimagined revisits the history of the transatlantic slave trade through art
Ahead of a Bonhams auction on 21 November, The World Reimagined will conclude with an epic finale in Trafalgar Square this weekend (19 and 20 November). The initiative uses art to illuminate the history of the transatlantic slave trade, inviting us ‘to face our shared history with honesty, empathy and grace’.
