26th April - 24th May, 2024 / Abject Gallery through Breeze Creatives
Opening Reception: 26th April 2024, 6pm - 8pm
PRESS RELEASE - CLICK HERE
‘Iris Obscura’, 2023, Cast / Hand-polished Glass, Mirror, Stainless Steel.
It’s been some time since i’ve updated my news, and I am sorry for that! In late 2020 I relocated to Sunderland in NE England to embark on a practice based PhD at The National Glass Centre through the University of Sunderland. My thesis title, ‘Casting Self Reflection: Three-Dimensional Mirrors within Contemporary Glass Art Practice’, focuses on the use of investment (plaster / silica) moulds to create dimensional spaces within solid glass for a mirror to be applied. Through nearly 3 years of research I have unveiled a palette of mirroring effects, whereby the mirror can take on varying qualities reminiscent of crocodile skin, peach fuzz or tanned leather (to name a few).
It is by absolute pleasure to announce that I will be bringing together all of my research within my first solo exhibition in NE England, ‘Iris Obscura’. I am highlighting a snippet of the press release below for more details. The full document can be downloaded HERE. I hope you can join us at Abject Gallery in the Athenaeum Building in Sunderland City centre on 26th April, 6-9pm.
"Iris Obscura" represents the culmination of Manousis’ extensive research of cast glass mirrors, a technique historically overlooked in mirror-making due to its textured, opaque surface. Through meticulous experimentation, Manousis has harnessed the potential of investment cast glass as a canvas for silver nitrate coatings, creating a mesmerising palette of surface effects.
The centrepiece of the exhibition, funded in part by Arts Council England, is a 400+ part wall installation of glass prisms with multi-faceted mirrored interiors. Handcrafted and digitally fabricated, this monumental work responds dynamically to the expansive walls and natural light of the Abject galleries exhibition space, inviting visitors into a realm of visual enchantment.
Accompanying the installation are over 100 cast glass mirror samples created during Manousis' PhD studio research, along with a series of sculptures that upturn the reflected ‘truth’ that a mirror evokes.
