Baiba Dzenite for Æ-Journal

 

Indulging in Baiba’s glass art gives the feeling of entering a rarefied atmosphere, a
suspended time, a still moment in life.
The names of the collections — CALM, CELESTIAL COELUS — are not just casual choices, they are a filter to read and perceive where her inspiration comes from. In a nutshell we could state that her world is a universe on a small and sophisticated scale. In it you can find nature, foggy atmosphere, impalpable night skies blinking towards the Milky Way but most of all it is the beauty of glass in all its pureness that emerges.

You won’t find bold colours, contemporary clashes in Baibas’s work. On the contrary you can see the sublimation of the essentiality, the poetry of her touch now on show — after a successful participation at Collect — in Milan at Milano Vetro – 35 a project devoted to the world of glass merging contemporary design and artistic creations.

 

 

Tell us about your education?

I graduated from the Art Academy of Latvia with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Glass Art. I expanded my knowledge and experience through work in hot glass studios in the Baltic States, Czech Republic and Artist Residency in Japan. I participated in the Erasmus+ traineeship mobility program in the GLASREMIS studio in Lithuania, where I learned various hot glass and coldwork techniques from experienced masters.

 

 

When did you start working and experimenting with glass?

While I was studying at the Art Academy of Latvia, I had a chance to visit a few hot glass studios in Czech Republic and I decided to give all my attention to the hot glass technique and founded my brand BAIBA GLASS. The range of my work includes mouth-blown, hot-poured and hand-shaped glass pieces made in a unique way by the use of traditional and innovative materials; the imprint of an antique Latvian heckling comb, a linen-craft tool, has become a distinctive feature of my Collection CALM. This archaic artefact, signifying the timeless relationship between natural phenomena and ancient Latvian linen-craft tradition, impresses upon contemporary glass art its symbolic ‘imprint of time’.

…and I decided to pay all my attention to the hot glass technique and founded my brand BAIBA GLASS. The range of my work includes mouth-blown, hot-poured and hand-shaped glass pieces made in a unique way by the use of traditional and innovative materials.

 

 

Why did you use only clear glass?

I think that clear glass has one of the best tactile qualities of glass along with its smoothness which distinguishes it from other materials. It is minimalistic and I enjoy working in a minimalistic style. When I started to work with hot glass I tried different colours, but they were too expressive and I didn’t fell resonance.

I think that clear glass has one of the best tactile qualities of glass along with its smoothness which distinguishes it from other materials.

 

 

On the other hand I’ve always been fascinated by the transparency of glass. When I am creating my art I have the feeling that the glass is alive and lives its majestic life through changing reflections of light. Glass will always be more than just a material for expressing myself.

When I am creating my art I have feeling that the glass is alive and lives its majestic life through changing shine of light. Glass will always be more than just a material to express myself.

 

 

The dew is reminiscent of glass pearls to me, which allow me to appreciate them without touching them or otherwise they will disappear. I guess these phenomena teach us respectfulness towards nature and they are my inspiration when I am working with glass material. Fog and dew were the inspiration for my first Collection CALM, but somehow they continue to be a source of inspiration for a significant part of my other collections and custom made works too.

 

 

Have you ever felt the need to include in your creations other materials, other colours interrupting the series of transparencies?

The Artist Residency in Japan at the ‘Seto Ceramics and Glass Art Center’ in 2018 was my turning point and I started to experiment more with colours. I found myself very curious to find my own unique colour combinations by mixing two or more powders together and combining them with different types of metals or other chemical substances. Since that time my specialization is glass tinting that elicits a vision of ‘painting in glass’ encapsulated in layers of clear glass.

 

 

The Artist Residency in Japan at the ‘Seto Ceramics and Glass Art Center’ in 2018 was my turning point and I started to experiment more with colours and I found myself very curious to find my own unique colour combinations by mixing two or more powders together and combining them with different types of metals or other chemical substances. Since that time my specialization is glass tinting that elicits a vision of ‘painting in glass’ encapsulated in layers of clear glass.

 

 

It took time to develop this skill and I am still working on it. The process is similar to painting – it is important to know which colours you need to use in order to achieve the colour you want. It is more difficult with glass though, because chemical ingredients can produce unexpected results when they react and that makes each object unique.

 

 

Have you ever worked in Murano?

I visited Murano for the first time in 2019, when I had an exhibition during ‘Venice Glass Week’. I visited BERENGO STUDIO and the ‘Murano Glass Museum’ and I felt a deep inspiration to return. Unfortunately I have had limited access to work in the hot glass studios locally and abroad for the last two years because of Covid restrictions and my plan to create special artworks in Murano was postponed. I hope to do it this year. At the moment I am working on a new colorful series which will be presented this year in Italy.

 

 

I feel very honored that my connection with Italy is getting stronger. Last year the ‘Night Sky’ Classic Tray from COELUS Collection was selected and presented to the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella by the President of Latvia Egils Levits at a historic meeting on May 2021 in Rome, marking the centenary of Latvia’s de iure recognition and the establishment of diplomatic relations with Italy.

 

 

Also the previous Ambassador of Italy in Latvia Stefano Taliani de Marchio showed a genuine interest in my work and upcoming projects related to Italy.

 

 

Three glass artists that inspire your work.

Artists who inspire me are Stanislav Libensky and Jaroslava Brychtova. I felt very honored to be selected as one of the finalists for the Stanislav Libensky Award 2017 with a series of art objects from the CALM Collection. I feel a strong connection also with Tapio Wirkkala and Laura de Santillana on the creative side.

 

 

Three words characterizing your work

_observation __reflection __depth

 

 

A dream in the closet… a piece you’d like to design, a collaboration you’d like to start, a place where you’d like to exhibit

I have always been very curious about lighting design and glass is the perfect material for it. Usually I create one of a kind lighting objects for public spaces or private residences but at the moment there are three series with different types of lighting which I could represent as collections.

 

I am considering my participation at the ‘EDIT Napoli’ Design Fair in Italy this October, where it would be possible to present one of these projects.

Usually I create one of a kind lighting objects for public spaces or private residences but at the moment there are three series with different types of lighting which I could represent as collections.

 

 

According to my observations, every time I take part in an international exhibition I gain the impulse for new collaborations. This happened during the ‘1000 Vases Paris’ exhibition at Galerie Joseph where I met Slovakian based ceramic artist Evgeniia Kazarezova who is well known and who received awards for her incredible project – Nymph – a wearable vase rethinking the functions of the ceramic vessel and interaction with plants and their position in space. It is a poetical image of the child of nature, which is known from folklore, classic literature, and paintings, which becomes real once again through this project. We have an idea of creating a special edition made from mouth-blown glass to develop this project to a new level and play with glass transparency. I hope we will start work on it this year.

At the moment I am working on a personal exhibition project inspired by Venus from ancient Roman mythology. My vision is to represent this show in the following countries which have made an important input on my emotional and artistic expressions – Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Ukraine and Baltic States.

 

 

At the moment I am working on a personal exhibition project inspired by Venus from ancient Roman mythology. My vision is to represent this show in the following countries which have made an important input on my emotional and artistic expressions – Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Ukraine and Baltic States.

 

 

‘Venus with Pearl’ was born as a retelling of the story of the sea-born goddess whose divine attributes of pure love, beauty, desire and sexuality manifest, layered through waves of experience, as a pearl of wisdom which lies at the core of true feminine expression.
This is a central piece of this upcoming project and one of the selected works for the ‘Milano Vetro–35’ competition which is on display alongside 30 other finalists until June 19th at the Sala della Balla (Sforza Castle) in Milan. Where will it be exhibited next?… it’s confidential at the moment.

 

 

The soundtrack of your collections

The album FORM by ‘Corre’ …and the featured song is also titled ‘Form’

 

 

Some preview on the upcoming projects?

There are few upcoming collaborations for a lighting object series with designers from Milan – Stefania Loschi and Gerardo Mari, and another project in progress with designer Phillipe Geier from Vienna.

At the moment I am working on custom made trays for the best Latvian restaurant in Riga – ‘Max Cekot Kitchen’. The technique which we use to make these pieces is very complicated but the result will be stunning, I can’t wait to see it finalized.

 

 

I feel very thankful to everyone who is interested in this craft. In Latvia we have very few blown glass masters left. It is very important not to lose these traditions. Each young glass artist is responsible for continuing this craft. Also glass is a very expensive material which makes it more complicated to work with. But I think it is also the key to success to create the best things possible from this versatile material.

 

 

I feel very thankful to everyone who is interested in this craft. In Latvia we have very few blown glass masters left. It is very important not to lose these traditions. Each young glass artist is responsible for continuing this craft.

 

baibaglass.com