Colin Reid takes glass to its extreme to create pieces which are majestic and magical. Over the past 30 years he has worked with this fragile material to create exquisite works of art which intrigue and invite us to wonder at how they are made. Colin's sculpture has an extraordinary ability to make a first-time viewer stop and be drawn in to look carefully again and again. His brilliance has given him the cutting edge in kiln-cast glass and international recognition for his inspirational work.

Indeed he has been the inspiration for a number of young artists who have had the privilege to train with Colin and move on to become successful artists.

Casting Brilliance provides a unique opportunity to see the progression of Colin’s work from his early days to the present. Starting his career in the early 1980s his work has evolved and flourished showing constant experimentation with this material to create unique pieces of varying scale.

The exhibition will show works from each stage of Colin’s career and include new pieces specifically made for Casting Brilliance. There will be a unique opportunity also to see some of the process Colin uses, including moulds and castings which are beautiful objects in their own right. As an integral part of the exhibition, this will enable visitors to gain a better understanding of how a block of glass is transformed into a work of art.

Education will be a key part of the show with supporting material disseminated through a film and publication. Talks and workshops will also be available.

Colin’s work is represented in over 45 museum collections worldwide. His reputation also invites significant commissions, both public and private, which challenge his practice whether because of scale or location. For example Cipher Stone, 2003 (GCHQ, Cheltenham) successfully demonstrates an understanding of location through its reference to GCHQ’s function as the country’s national intelligence and security centre.

It is a 2.1 m high construction of glass and steel and at over 500kg is one of the largest artworks to have been cast in optical glass in the UK. Bamboo Scroll, which is made from cast glass and steel also reflects Colin’s sensibilities for combining materials and his instinct for creating work which sits beautifully in its surroundings, in this case the Shanghai Public Library.

Casting Brilliance will be the first major exhibition in the Art Gallery & Museum’s brand new exhibition galleries showing from October 2013 to January 2014. After this the exhibition will be available for touring.

Organised in partnership by Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum with Adrian Sassoon, London.

All images courtesy of Adrian Sassoon, London.

Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum
Clarence Street
Cheltenham GL50 3JT United Kingdom
Ph. +44 (0)12 42237431
ArtGallery@cheltenham.gov.uk
www.cheltenhammuseum.org.uk

Opening hours
Daily from 9.30am to 5.15pm
Closed 25 and 26 December