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Press Release

"Mysterious Transformation - Glass Works by Lo De-Hwa" American Cultural Center June 27 - September 26, 2001

The American Cultural Center will present in its lobby display cases an exhibition titled "Mysterious Transformation - Glass Works by Lo De-hwa," June 27 through September 26, 2001.

The American Cultural Center lobby is open to the public from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and noon until 6 p.m. on Saturdays. It is closed Sundays and holidays. The American Cultural Center is located at 54 Nan Hai Road, Taipei.

Lo De-hwa graduated from the Art and Craft Department of Xie-he College of Technology and Commerce. He started the research and development of glass works at Liu-li Workshop in 1989, and has learned the skill and knowledge on glass making there. To advance his skill in glassworks, Lo went to Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle in 1996. He established a studio in San-zi County, outside of the Taipei City, after he returned to Taiwan. Since then, Lo has devoted himself into the creation and development of functional glass. This exhibit will present Lo's masterpieces in various stages of his research.

Glass making began at the East Bank of the Mediterranean Sea, around Egypt and the ancient Mesopotamia. There are marvelous glass histories of Chin and Han dynasties in China, as well as of Art Deco in Nineteenth Century and modern Japan. The beauty of glass is displayed as the harmonious interaction between light and color. So the peculiarities of glass are light penetration and the transparency of its inner space, as well as the richness and flow of colors. Exploring glass for ten years, Lo has found that the mind is just like glass - it is the flowing and freezing of feelings.

There are various techniques in glass making, such as stain glass, lost wax, blowing, lamp work, etc. The result of each work is different because of its technique, and technique is the path for the artist to convey his idea. Lo chooses the skill of blowing glass, which very few craftsmen do. Blowing glass has attracted Lo because of its unpredictability and the individuality of each work made. The brilliant colors of blown glass come out of different combinations of chemical elements. In addition, the colors flow in directions that would never be the same in high temperatures. There is no intended composition or transmission of ideas by the artist. Lo wishes the viewer to enter his own inner space and obtain serenity and concentration for a moment via glasswork, as the artist who made it does.

Glass should be presented through lighting. Its colors change at different stages of firing, and different lighting give it multiple effects. Lo began wedding light and glass together in 1996, which has made his glasswork shine even in dark spaces. Thus Lo adds to his functional glasswork a special kind of energy and artistic touch.

A piece of water jar presents a view of sky, a flower vessel displays mountain scenery. Lo's glassworks disclose the beauty of the starry universe, the puzzle of earth maps, the cells of life, the formation of the new born earth...Lo hopes that what viewers observe in his works are not the artist's thoughts but the viewer's own memory.