Hi guys! Hope your January is off to a good start! Over the weekend I got to go and check out the art exhibit at the ROM by Chihuly. You can plan out your days with help using the planner I made for you in my last blog post. I hope it’s helping you! If you missed the blog post last week you check it out here.
Chihuly at the ROM
I had heard lots of great reviews and the main consensus was “You have to go see it!” So I did. I thought that I might not get to see it because of my schedule but I had a day free which happened to be the last day of the exhibition. So I booked the tickets and went down on the Sunday as soon as the Royal Ontario Museum opened at 10am.
I could see that a lot of people must have heard the exact same reviews that I had heard because there was already a queue outside the building. As soon as I stepped in to the exhibit all that I had heard was confirmed. “I’d never seen anything like it.” Amazing sculptures crafted from gorgeous coloured glass, blooming and sprouting from all around. Clear, marbled, speckled and iridescent blown glass turned into balls, flowers, spires, tumbleweeds and other wondrous forms.
The Installations
Some of work shown at the ROM has been shown in previous art installations around the world indoor and outdoor. Persian Ceiling being one of his most popular works. It was one of my favourite piece where you were engulfed in room coloured layers. We spent a good time just laying on the bean bags looking up at the ceiling, taking in the rainbow of objects and light. Their patterned spectral colours dancing down to walls below.
I say Chihuly as though just one man, though it is under his name. But it’s actually a big team of people that not only create these pieces but also install the art under his eye. No pun intended as he lost the use of one eye in accident. When I was little I saw someone blowing glass once and since then I’ve wanted to find a place to have a go. After visiting this exhibit I definitely would like to find a workshop at least to have a look. This is on a different kind of scale of course but towards the end of exhibition there was a showcase of some stunning bowls. Averaging around $8,000 each…a little out of my price range so you know maybe a local workshop might be a little affordable!
Other Places to See Chihuly
Although his exhibition for the ROM is now finished, he has a permanent gallery in Florida, St. Petersburg and another in his home state of Washington, the Chihuly Garden and Glass next to the space needle in Seattle. Other venues his work is featured the lobby of Bellagio in Las Vegas and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. And temporary exhibits have been showcased all over the world including the cities New York, London and Venice from previous times.
His work takes you into a different world and the photos really don’t do the art justice but I had to share anyway. If you hear his work is coming to a place near you or your going to one of the cities mentioned go have a look!
Chloe
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