London

Anna Varnase

Glass Point

Glass fuser | Riga, Latvia

The expressive possibilities of glass

Anna's works are characterised by a minimalistic colour palette
She was nominated for the Stanislav Libensky Award in 2017
She is passionate about the glass community and aims to make it more popular

Anna Varnase creates glass sculptures that emphasise the material's fragility and light transmitting qualities. Initially pursuing metal design, she fell in love with glass and obtained her master's degree in glass art from the Art Academy of Latvia. "As I was born in a post-Soviet country, I highly value the freedom of expression that I have today," she says. Anna passes on her glassmaking knowledge in her studio, Glass Point, which she established in 2017. She inspires young artists to express themselves with glass and provides them with the knowledge and space to turn their ideas into reality. Anna also opens her workshop to other craftspeople who do not have their own equipment and are looking for a place to create.

Interview

How did your upbringing affect your practice?: Being part of the first generation to grow up in a country free from censorship really inspired me to express myself freely. Freedom is essential, not only for society and democracy, but also for art.
Do your Latvian roots influence your works?: I can see that the long, dark moody winters guide my work into a more minimalistic colour palette. The climates of Northern and Southern Europe have vastly different influences.
When did you decide to work with glass?: It all happened by chance when I was studying metal design in an art academy. Even though I wanted to express myself with 3D shapes, metalwork was too heavy for me. So, I decided to try glass and fell in love with it during the first week of my studies.
Where do you find your inspiration?: Visiting international exhibitions, I met many artists from the very inspiring glass community that is always sharing knowledge and secrets. Artisans are always supporting and cheering for each other.

Anna Varnase is a master artisan: she began her career in 2011 and she started teaching in 2017