Void - Emma Camden 2020

Void Emma Camden 25 July – 15 August 2020

1.

Pillar Cast pale emerald, jade, olive and lime Gaffer glass; 630 x 125 x 115 mm

$14,500

2.

Archway (diptych) Cast Ice blue 455mm x 470mm x 120mm; Cast Hyacinth 260 x 220 x 90mm

$9,500

3.

Balance Cast pale steel blue Gaffer glass; 430 x 480 x 210mm

$7,000

4.

Pillar Cast pale emerald, jade, olive and lime Gaffer glass; 550 x 145 x 140mm

$9,500

5.

Window Cast pale steel blue gaffer glass; 270 x 220 x 190mm

$7,000

6.

Pillar Cast Ice blue Gaffer glass; 600 x 200 x 170mm

$11,500

VOID – EMMA CAMDEN 2020 In Emma Camden’s latest series her architectural forms are transformed through the lens of our turbulent and uncertain times. They convey strength as well as tension. Emma’s career has continued to explore her desire to understand life and the possibilities beyond. As a lifelong history buff, Emma’s interest is centred on architecture; Architecture in the form of edifices and monuments humans create in an attempt to make sense of not only their existence but also as memorials to themselves, Egyptian pyramids and triumphal arches are favourites.

These structures inform Emma’s sculptural forms and question life and what it is beyond. The age-old question of ‘What is next?’ carries new weight in this current climate.

While tackling these big themes Emma’s work is not foreboding. Her knowledge and skills in the manipulation of light through glass are masterful. Her use of line, angles, and voids in her geometric sculptural exploration of form give her works a sense of hope. These forms are duplicitous in their ability to convey calm and chaos simultaneously.

A universal struggle that transcends any location.

Emma Camden profile Emma Camden immigrated to New Zealand from England in the early 1990s. Since then she has developed a position as one of the country’s leading studio glass artists.

Working exclusively with cast glass, Camden has constantly pushed the boundaries of the medium and broken new ground in the area of large-scale casting. Her work is conceptually driven, often exploring issues arising from her identity and personal experience. Her current series investigates large scale solid forms and ideas of structure and architecture.

Camden has received considerable recognition for both her technical and sculptural innovation. She has received numerous awards, including being one of the few New Zealand artists to have won the supreme award for the Ranamok Glass Prize (Australia). One of her signature tower works was also featured in a limited edition applied arts series of New Zealand postage stamps in 2002.

Camden’s work is included in several significant national and international collections.

Public Collections Auckland Museum, Auckland Waikato Polytechnic Collection, Hamilton Wallace Arts Trust, Auckland National Art Glass Collection, Wagga Wagga, Australia Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt Ebeltost Museum, Ebeltost, Denmark Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington APEC Gift presented to the then-President of the USA, Bill Clinton