#evankolker

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Turned On Artist: Evan Kolker

I have had my hand in many works of sculptural lighting through the years I have worked managing and creating custom glass projects for various artists and designers. However, this will be my first personal go at the motif. When approached with the concept for the show, I wanted to use the opportunity to bring to fruition an idea I was developing for a suspended sculpture. The work I have created is inspired by Aristolochia Grandiflora, also known as the “pelican plant,” a deciduous vine native to the Caribbean and Central America. The plant produces large ominous flowers that emit the odor of rotting flesh to attract scavenging fly pollinators, and which only bloom for a mere 48 hours before completing their fertility cycle and wilting.

My residency at Pittsburgh Glass Center was an amazing opportunity and experience. It often takes me months to develop new work due to time constraints with scheduled projects. However, during my residency, I was able to move at a rapidly accelerated pace with a single focused goal. What was only a concept weeks before has now become a fully realized sculpture. There are always difficulties when prototyping new glass forms in the hot-shop, but I think the real challenge to this project was designing an armature/suspension technique that is well engineered aesthetically and structurally sound.

Pittsburgh Glass Center (PGC) flips the switch on June 3 to present a new lighting exhibition called, “Turned On: Lighting Hooks Up with Sculpture,” co-curated by PGC Executive Director Heather McElwee and artist Susan Taylor Glasgow. The exhibition will be on view until September 11, 2016.  

Join us for a free opening reception on June 3 from 6-9pm! Many of the artists will be in attendance!

All photos courtesy of Nathan J. Shaulis/Porter Loves Creative.