Interview with Ekaterina Getzova, artist and founder of the International Festival of Glass Sofia
Milla Tarabanova: How do you see the development of glass in art?
Ekaterina Getzova: Glass in Bulgaria is hard to develop, especially in recent years, because there are not many specialists, and many factories have closed. Glass needs to be made in industrial conditions, and there are no such here. The factories simply shut down, and that’s when artists started searching for ways to work with the material themselves, but it is very difficult. There are very few glassmakers who are trained specialists. That’s why when we started this festival, I immediately saw that we need to involve many artists who have never worked with glass to try and work with it. For this reason, the festival gives artists who aren’t glassmakers the opportunity to create a few works in glass and view it from a different perspective. After meeting the director of Studio Berengo, I found out that they also have this tendency to invite non-glassmakers, good artists, to express their ideas through glass. I felt very proud because both we and they had come to the same idea, to the same necessity. This year, I am inviting sculptors who have never worked with glass before, but they have developed it in their own way. They looked through a different window and saw how glass could be viewed. At last year’s festival, we invited ten artists who had also never worked with glass and created extremely interesting pieces. This is a very positive direction because by doing this, we ignite many artists to work with glass. We contribute much more to the development of the material than if we only invited a narrow, specialized circle of glassmakers, who are counted on the fingers of one hand. They often stagnate, sometimes getting stuck in a craft-based direction, and they can’t see glass from another point of view. Meanwhile, other artists are making incredible progress, which is very useful for the Bulgarian audience as well. The audience must be educated about the taste for glass because glass is not just about utilitarian items like cups and bottles; they need to see that glass has another purpose. It can be much more artistic.
To break free from the narrow confines of ornamentation…
Exactly, and that’s why Berengo has come to this conclusion: the limitations of glass as jewelry or typical Venetian souvenirs are stifling. By joining the Venice Biennale, he has elevated this material, which is tied to Venice’s long tradition of glassmaking, to a truly high level by inviting world-renowned artists to work with it. Furthermore, he organizes exhibitions in other countries, showcasing what artists have created at Berengo Studio. This also helps demonstrate what glass can do and how it can be used in different ways. In our century, where boundaries between specialties are blurring and every artist works as they wish and experiments with different media, there are no narrow specialists anymore; on the contrary, everything should be tried. This is progress. There has been incredible progress in glass. Amazing installations are being made worldwide, with lighting elements, gases… Technologies are advancing and influencing glass.
Which countries are you referring to?
Leading the way is the United States – with glass technologies that were unknown until now. And when there are new technologies, artists immediately start using them in new ways, which makes it very interesting.
How does it compare to the Czech Republic?
There are several schools: Italian, Czech, and Scandinavian – these are the three main centers in Europe. The Scandinavians focus on strict design, serious forms, good quality, and tradition. Each school is different in its own way.
Are they developing glass as contemporary art?
The Czech Republic has a very strong tradition starting from secondary schools, with many children finishing specialized schools and continuing their higher education at the academy, where there is a Glass specialization. The academy is well-developed and prepares students very well. They have a contingent of many specialists in the field of glass. Their factories are operating. Now there are many private factories that have emerged, and they provide opportunities for artists to create. They follow a tradition. Scandinavian countries also have many factories and skilled personnel. What’s interesting is that they are moving into a new stage. The United States also has many factories, private studios, where they work with glass. They have a technique called Lampworking, which is working with a torch, and we showcased it at the Academy during the festival. We invited Amy Sons to demonstrate this technology, which is much cheaper and more accessible. You work with glass with a single flame. Initially, I was prejudiced because I associated it with kitsch and souvenirs, but actually, the Americans have made great advances in this technology. It’s about the idea and creating very interesting works. That’s why I wanted them to see what can be created in the Academy, because in Bulgaria, it’s not possible to maintain kilns, but with a torch, you can work with glass.
Is there only a kiln in Veliko Tarnovo?
The kiln in Veliko Tarnovo is for blown glass, and there is one at the National School of Applied Arts St. Luka.
Isn’t it very small?
They use it a few times a year. To have a real kiln, it should be in industrial conditions. It needs to be in constant use; it’s a continuous process, whereas here we don’t have any functioning factories. They all went bankrupt, and everything disappeared. The kilns I work with are electric and are used for glass bending. There is also the Czech technique of molten glass, which one of our colleagues works with. But you need to have a lot of knowledge to work with it – you need to grind it, process it, because it comes out very rough. Now, in the Czech Republic, there are many private studios where you can go and order them to make everything for you. You model, give them a form, and they execute it. They’ve had many factory closures, and they are facing difficulties. The Chinese are doing a lot of dumping.
I was very impressed by Adam and Eve, Touch.
The idea behind Adam and Eve is that both bodies are wooden, and their attributes are made of glass. The drops and Adam’s member, Eve’s breasts, represent the life force. The nails hammered into Adam suggest that men must be iron-like. The special carriage nails symbolize the hardness of men, which should be inherent, while in the female part, there is only one – representing softness, but with the potential to be hard. The glass parts are fragile. They need to be protected to remain in harmony. Eve also has a glass wing, symbolizing her thoughts that soar. Touch represents the male and female principles, which flow and walk together along one path. Here, there are metallic symbols, glass, and wood. I am now amused by the combination of different materials, mostly with wood. It’s a very warm material, while glass is a bit colder, and when combined, it creates a beautiful composition. Glass here is always associated with water. It flows like drops going into a river, into infinity.
Looking at your works, you put so much meaning into water – fertility, sexuality…
Everything is embedded in it. It is life, it is sex, it is everything. It has numerous reincarnations. And these female figures, torsos, and separate heads – again, I’m interested in transparency and color. I add ropes to them, which warm the glass.
I connect your torsos with standing up for and defining female sexuality and beauty. If this firmness and beauty are not upheld, the world will be lost. Female beauty should be worshipped. Women have been idolized since ancient times, when male figures were far fewer. I tried to bring these ideas into the material of glass. I have full figures. I composed 5-6 of these figures – some with their backs to us, others facing forward with glowing hoses running between them. The female image is a symbol. It depends on which side you look at it from. Sometimes you will see it through its transparency, and in places, the paint darkens it, and the woman keeps something to herself. There should always be a play of transparency and opacity.
You pay special attention to the emancipated image of a woman, drawing from her natural power.
Yes. I’ll show you another one of my works. It’s called In Search of the G Spot. With many dots. Searching, is it here, there? Sexuality has always fascinated me. And this one is called Balance. Full glass compositions that flow into one another. Here I am seeking balance in life, between ideas and with myself. I also have huge glass compositions in two metro stations in Nagoya, Japan. They are 11 meters long. One composition is in blue, and the other in violet. I presented two exhibitions at that time, in Tokyo and Nagoya. The Jeans series is very prominent. I always imagined them sitting by the sea, on the sand, or on some bench. They are a symbol of youth, lightness, carefreeness, and comfort.
When I visited your second exhibition at the festival, at the Evdokiya Gallery, I saw your bowl with razors. It’s like a thrown glove, a provocation.
I’m always looking for some kind of provocation, because otherwise, it’s very boring. Art cannot be lukewarm. See, you remembered it. There were many plates, but you remembered what provoked you. Art should not be pretty and watered down.
Besides the female principle, where else do you draw inspiration from?
I always draw from nature. Natural forms interest me a lot. For example, this piece is from a fallen tree. I combine glass with nature. After the storm, when I saw the stump, I liked it so much and thought how interesting it would turn out. I combine real, lasting materials, like wood and iron – the truth, so to speak.
The Yellow River was made thinking about China. I don’t know what it means to them, but I imagined the idea of novelty and progress. And the transparent shoes walking on the river, and along the river, represent the movement of people who want to move forward. The name was unexpected because it is not customary here. I associate progress directly with China.
What are you planning for the next festival?
At the next festival, we will invite Venetian glass from Studio Berengo so that the Bulgarian audience can see their exciting collection. In the more distant future, we will invite Chinese artists because they are a large community with many talented creators. Their approach to glass, especially porcelain, is very different from the European one, which is extremely valuable. It’s interesting to see if they can overcome traditional boundaries and view it in a new way. But I believe that someone will inevitably emerge who will create in a more contemporary style. The Chinese are irreplaceable in porcelain – with its forms, decoration, and all the countless aspects of this material – but I wonder what they will offer in the field of glass. We’ll have to wait and see.
Katia Getzova, Adam and Eve, 2016