Exhibit by Ritsue Mishima Puts Aberdeen Art Gallery in a Spin

Written by Monika Pronczuk Tuesday, 10 August 2010 20:50

ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND - A beautiful glass object created by one of the world's leading makers went on display at Aberdeen Art Gallery on Tuesday, 10 August, after it was acquired through our Art Fund Collect scheme in May. Spin by Japanese artist Ritsue Mishima is an outstanding example of contemporary glassware. It was won for Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums by curator Kate Gillespie. This is the second time Kate has won a piece on behalf of the Gallery through Art Fund Collect. The hand-blown, spiralling glass piece is characteristic of Mishima’s creations, which are often concerned with movement and light.

Mishima formed the vibrant sculpture by spiralling solid canes of hot glass around a blown glass base. This technique creates movement, as if the piece is literally spinning in space. Mishima describes her work as: “originally being conceived as a celestial body, as part of a cosmos, where everything is dynamic, eternally rotating.”

Born in 1962 in Kyoto, Ritsue Mishima executes her highly original designs in collaboration with Murano-based craftsmen.

Kate Gillespie said: “I am delighted that Aberdeen Art Gallery won this piece through Art Fund Collect. To be a successful participant for a second year running is quite unbelievable and I am extremely proud to have brought another innovative example of contemporary craft to Scotland for the public to view and enjoy.”

Art Fund Collect is a £75,000 initiative aimed at championing contemporary craft and increasing its presence in UK collections. It is run by the Art Fund and the Crafts Council.

The origins of Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums can be traced to 1873 when John Forbes White and a number of local art collectors decided to hold a public exhibition to display their collections. From this developed a plan to establish a public art gallery for the benefit of citizens, an objective that continues to drive the programmes of activity within the Museums and Galleries service today. Visit : http://www.aagm.co.uk/

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