Hangzhou hosts international glass art exhibition: 'Reality & Illusion'

The Hangzhou International Contemporary Glass Art Exhibition opened Friday in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province.

Themed "Reality and Illusion", the exhibition aggregates some of the latest glass works from Chinese and international artists at the China Design Museum of China Academy of Art.

"Glass is a remarkable material derived from nature and refined through human ingenuity," said Yu Xuhong, president of the China Academy of Art, at the opening ceremony. "It has woven itself into the fabric of human civilization."

From ancient glass artifacts and craftsmanship to contemporary glass art, glass serves not only practical functions but has also evolved into an expressive and innovative artistic medium, he added.

More than 30 artists from China and abroad have brought their artworks to the exhibition. They showed the audience their unique understanding and contemporary expression of glass art through recursive and restorative experiences, thoughts and practices on the transparency and light vessels of glass and continuous dialogue with glass as a material and medium in daily life.

"Because of its strong features, we need to negotiate and cooperate with glass to discover how to be its partner, its friend," said Igor Frolov, an award-winning artist based in Montenegro.

"Glass teaches us to listen to each other, and as it becomes the artist's collaborator, we respect each other. In life, every touch of glass can enable people to coexist peacefully and respect and share happiness with one another," he said.

The exhibition will run until March 10.