ART CONNECTS
Answers to questions by Dr. Gerry King

Lubomir FERKO

1. It is so rare that somebody of your profession and from your country is visiting us. The last time an Australian glass artist was here was almost 18 years ago. The Slovak Stan Melis, then from Adelaide, took part in a workshop. What is your reason for visiting Slovakia?

I visited Bratislava to take the opportunity to again meet with the international artist working with glass, Lubomir Ferko. We originally met in Holland during 2010 while both exhibiting in the international invitational exhibition GlasHart.
While we have maintained email contact the opportunity to meet has, until now not arisen. Lubomir was a visiting artist in Launceston, Australia in 2011 but that is some 1,300 kilometres from my city (across the Bass Strait), so a little difficult for us to get together.

This June and July I taught a summer class in kiln forming and casting at The Glass Furnace School in Istanbul and later designed works for the production glassblowers at the adjoining factory so I took advantage of being in Europe to make my first visit to Slovakia. Australia is such a long journey from Europe, (more than 24 hours) that the prospect of visiting just one country while there doesn’t seem logical.

Stan Melis had worked at The JamFactory Craft and Design Centre in my hometown of Adelaide and occasionally returned to Slovakia. In the 1970s he introduced European factory glass blowing skills to the JamFactory. A revelation at the time! His contribution was considerable. The influence of American glassblowing pervaded Australia, along with that of the last of the Australian factory blowers. Just as the artists were exploring glassblowing, the factories were closing. There was though some contact between the two groups. The first conference of the glass artist’s association, Ausglass, visited the last significant factory in 1979. In 1980 I convened the first national hot glass workshop, The Hot Glass Gathering, at my studio near Adelaide. Two of the factory master blowers, Julio Santos (originally from Portugal) and Michael Mulholland demonstrated along with the artist glass blowers.

But few eyes were turned towards Europe. The dazzle of US glass inhibition was then beginning to stifle development of a broader skill base. Melis had skills and experience few held in Australia at the time. His contribution to Australian contemporary glass is significant. Melis also worked at times with the Slovak, Ivan Polak, a glass sculptor who migrated to Australia in 1981. Polak introduced more refined knowledge of cold working, constructing the polishing wheels used by The JamFactory glass studio and raising awareness of the achievements possible in this aspect of glass artistry. Now of course there is the Venetian influence under-pinning much of the work by artist-glassblowers in many countries, including Australia.

Australians have a tendency to be inveterate travellers. It is probably because we come from an island, far removed from the European origins of the majority of the population. (Australia is variously described as the world’s largest island or smallest continent. Regardless of that, it is a great expanse of land, almost the size of Europe, just one country, one official language, more desert than farmland and a great variety of climates. Tropical in the north, it is temperate in the south, with a Mediterranean zone in my hometown of Adelaide. The eastern mountains are said to have more snow than Switzerland.)

So! Having journeyed all the way to Europe, completed my tasks in Turkey, having an eye for adventure it would be an anti-climax to return immediately to Australia. On to Slovakia and why not? I might learn more of the Slovakian glass artistry. In truth, Slovakia, other than for the work of Ferko, is not known in Australia for contemporary glass.


2. In much of Europe there is a long lasting and deep economic and spiritual recession. Therefore aspects of the arts are generally beyond public interest and we are missing support of local culture by state structures. I suspect that the Australian government is more responsive and supportive of the arts. Can you describe how you feel about this topic?

The Australian government was uncharacteristically insightful, brave and bold in managing the impact of the global recession. They borrowed heavily and distributed the funds into the community, largely through the building trades by instigating major school building projects and subsidized heat insulation for private houses. This allowed the economy to maintain strength so that presently we have one of the most stable economies in the world, our dollar higher than that of the USA. There is though reluctance by the population to spend which stems from a fear that bad times are bound to eventually return or are almost upon us. This is largely unfounded but continually emphasized by the opposition parties which have attacked the government since the 2010 election as though there was a short term campaign to be won. This is highly irresponsible, at best amoral, but working to the opposition’s advantage in public opinion.

The visual arts have been impacted upon by a reduction in sales, some major private galleries having closed. Artists, including those working with glass, have reduced income but most continue to operate. Leading Australian artists working with glass sell much of their product to the US but the downturn in the US economy has also affected that market.

Since the 1970's the government has had generous programmes supporting the arts. They are highly competitive, a minority of artists receiving funding but they do continue even in difficult times to assist in keeping the arts alive. This is a more desirable situation for the arts than in many countries, much envied by others.


3. During my short stay in Tasmania University I did not find many art museums or galleries in comparison with my experience in Europe. However, the gambling millionaire David Walsh founded in Hobart The Museum of Old and New Art, a large museum for his collection. Is it finished now? How does it influence local culture life?

MONA is now open and welcoming many visitors. It has an idiosyncratic collection that has probably attracted people who have not previously taken an interest in art galleries. The spectacular architecture magnificently supports the artworks. The main galleries are underground, carved into the coastal cliff below the original family house. Rough-hewn stone compliments the usual gallery fittings. The collection ranges from Egyptian artefacts to avant-garde works of today. The great fun starts at the Hobart wharf where there is a ferry service to the gallery. A private initiative, it has the bearing and collection usually associated with a public art museum. MONA may well have breathed new life into the visual arts in Tasmania. It has the attributes of a major public collection but coupled with the fun and mystery of a fantasy environment.

The State of Tasmania is small, by Australian standards, at 68,000 square kilometres. Though it is larger than Slovakia (48,400 square kilometres) it has a population of only 500,000, few compared with Slovakia’s 5,000,000. Of course the major arts activity is in the capitol Hobart, home to almost half of the island’s residents. There are regional art museums in the larger towns and the occasional private gallery of note. Many artists and craftspeople live in Tasmania as housing is more affordable.


4. I have seen one performance of Tasdance and it was very impressive. But here in Europe it is very rare to see modern Australian art. A few years ago I noticed a huge Australian exhibition at the Quai Branly museum in Paris, but it was dedicated to aboriginal art, not to the current art scene. Could an exhibition of Australian modern art receive more attention abroad?

Australian aboriginal art has been created for at least 40,000 years; early cave and rock paintings still survive across the continent. More recently paintings have been made on flattened bark from eucalyptus trees and currently on hardboard and canvas. All these practices continue today. Traditional paint, made from ochre is now generally replaced by commercial paint. But all practices, visual, music and performance still exist. (Though they are normally for ceremonial purposes and not necessarily separated from each other.) The inexperienced eye might not be able to distinguish between ancient and contemporary aboriginal art works. Some of the style, technique and intent of the early artists are still employed by current aboriginal artists.

A small number of aboriginal people live in close association with their traditional culture, many have retained much of the heritage passed from one generation to another and some are completely immersed in Western society. Aboriginal people are, or have been members of parliament, professors, lawyers, doctors, inventors and honoured artists. But the majority are underprivileged members of society still impacted upon by the wrongs of the past that separated families, destroyed language and replaced spirituality with imposed Christianity. An unrecorded number where massacred or subjected to virtual slavery.

Some aboriginal artists of today continue the development of their traditional culture, telling the dreamtime stories in contemporary forms. The 2012 Quai Branly Museum exhibition showed paintings from the Papunya community from the central Australian desert. Their painting movement originated in 1971-1972.

Aboriginal art is well regarded internationally, some works selling for high prices in major art centres. Its individuality and direct relationship to the ancient culture of the oldest known society ensures that it usually receives enthusiastic attention at international showings, perhaps greater than that enjoyed by contemporary Western art from Australia.

However, some non-indigenous contemporary Australian artists are also highly regarded internationally. This is particularly so in the field of contemporary glass, Australia being seen as one of the prime countries by US collectors and gallery directors.

International showings of Australian contemporary glass are also well received. There are many examples but those that I have organized in Denmark, Germany, Taiwan and Argentina have been both very successful and received support from the Australian embassies in those countries. Why not Slovakia? There is no reason to not show Australian works in Bratislava. It may be the start of a fertile exchange. Support from both governments is a key ingredient. Companies trading between the two countries may well seek to contribute but a devoted coordinator is the essential element.


Interview with Dr Gerry KING by Lubomir FERKO, Academic Sculptor. Published in Bratislava, Slovakia, by Literature Weekly, Nr. 41-42, 28.11. 2012


Australian Gerry King has worked in contemporary glass from the early 1970s when undertaking postgraduate studies in the US.
Originally a glassblower he now works with many techniques for exhibition and commission pieces. His work is represented in some 20 public collections worldwide. He is also in demand internationally as an author, consultant and visiting lecturer. www.gerryking.com.au


Lubor Ferko translated the original article into Czech.
Lubomir Ferko, Academic Sculptor / born 1956 in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia / studied monumental sculpture at Belgrade Academy of Arts, Yugoslavia and Kunsthochschule Köln, Germany. In 1980 active in the area of large scale sculptures in public spaces. After visiting USA / 1989-9O / he began to work with glass. Since 1993 he is constantly exhibiting in Dutch galleries and takes part in various glass events in the Netherlands. He has also teaching/lecturing activities at universities in Slovakia, USA, China, Turkey, Egypt and Australia
www.lubomirferko-art.wbs.cz