Grave (Intra & Ultra), 2015
Rod colour, 170 x 70 x 40
Photo: Anna Fenech Harris
Emerging Artist Category Winner
Alex Valero studied art at the Universityof South Australia, where he first encountered glassblowing. Fascinated by the material, and the challenge of working with it, he completed his Visual Art degree with a specialisation in glass. Following art school, he completed the Associate training program at JamFactory. For those two years, Valero was immersed in the world of studio glass, learning traditional craft skills and working as part of a production team. Valero currently leases studio space at JamFactory and continues to assist other artists in JamFactory’s Glass Studio. Through his practice, Valero aims to expand the sculptural possibilities of the material, pushing and combining traditional techniques in unconventional ways.
“The Grave objects are the outcome of a series of experiments which aimed to generate novel work by subverting common glassworking techniques. By forming pieces from solid rod colour, I was able to cold work and reheat the objects to reduce the surface, yet preserve the lines and texture made possible by the cold process. ‘Grave’ in this case references the abandoned unit of measurement that eventually became the kilogram.”