Bilbao 2001

Lino Tagliapietra made this glass piece, Bilbao, using the techniques of Murano glassblowing. The lines wrap around the body, like a colourful cocoon. It’s hard to look at this piece and not think about process, about the hand, about the breath. Glass has this amazing ability to be solid and liquid, hold colour but also let light through. Look at the surface, how the textures and colours shift as the light moves across it. A blue oval, somehow trapped inside, like a secret. The way the colours blend reminds me of some of Dale Chihuly's forms, both artists share a playful approach. But there’s a precision in Tagliapietra’s lines that sets it apart. There’s space for both seriousness and a kind of winking humor, which, for me, is what art should always strive for.