FOAM and flowers and fragile fantasies, frozen forever in time. These are the works of Italian artist Giuse Maggi. She takes her imagination and gives it substance in sculptures made of glass. Their shimmering forms are a temptation to all. The urge to touch them frequently overwhelms viewers at her shows — sometimes with tragic consequences as the pressure of a fingertip causes a slender branch of brittle wonder to crash to the floor.
The names of her sculptures are important. Sea Anemone and Foam are obvious choices. But what was meant by Genesis-Crystal and Drops?
“It is important to me that people ask about the concept expressed by each piece,” said Maggi. “To create with glass every move must be planned in advance. The materials must be carefully chosen and then my mood at the time is important. When the piece is actually formed it will be extremely fast; a combination of earth, fire, oxygen and inspiration.”
Maggi is a geologist by training and this has helped her to understand the physical properties of the materials she uses. Because she has a scientific background she has developed her art in a very systematic manner building technique upon technique.
“I began working with glass in 1990 and my first pieces turned out badly,” she explained. “My family used to say that I never finished anything. I just needed to experiment and learn about how glass feels and how it moves. Working with glass an artist needs to be fast. It is not like ceramic. It can be manipulated while it is still hot but then there is no time for thinking. That is why I have to plan all my pieces in detail before I move to the flame.”
In the beginning, Maggi felt very alone with her art. She had to work hard to master the various techniques involved and for a while there was little sign of the beauty that she would eventually be able to create. But she built up her knowledge and as she became more confident she began to teach.
“Not all artists teach. It can be difficult to put something that is so emotional into words,” said Maggi. “But I believe that teaching is a process that not only lets you transfer your knowledge to others but helps you refine your own technique. My students come from many cultural backgrounds and give me ideas and suggestions that help me further my own work as well. So in the end it is quite a sharing experience.”
Maggi feels that it is very important that people try to surround themselves with beauty. She related that there was a time when she found herself living in Yemen in an empty house surrounded by a desolate garden. Slowly she worked to bring beautiful objects into her home and to turn her garden into a flowering retreat from the terrible heat. She found that the closer she came to creating her private haven the more fulfilled she felt and the more she was able to look for beauty outside her home in the Yemeni countryside which had seemed so alien to her before.
Maggi will be mounting her show, “Glass Exotica,” at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Dhahran on April 18. While the university is pleased to be hosting such a talented artist, getting the show put together is nerve wracking for Maggi and all those assisting her. The sturdier sculptures will be crated and taken as a group for display but the fragile, wispy fantasy works will have to be gently hand carried one by one from her home to the exhibit.
“It is inevitable that some piece will be horribly damaged,” she said with a sigh. “It is something I have had to learn to accept or I would never take my sculpture out of my home — never be able to share it — and that would be truly terrible for me.”
Maggi is very matter of fact when explaining her art. She freely admits that some pieces are merely the combining of colors. She doesn’t feel that these are inspiring. They are simply a way of introducing her art to people.
“Then there are some pieces that come from my soul,” said Maggi. “When I look at them after they are finished I know that a small piece of my being has been captured in the glass. These sculptures are very special to me and I enjoy talking to people about them and explaining the motivation and creativity that went into forming them.”
Maggi is not well known here in the Kingdom so it was surprising to discover that she is a recognized international talent. In 1999 she represented Saudi Arabia at the New Glass Review held at the Corning Museum in New York. She was one of 100 artists chosen from around the world for the Review and she said that she felt very proud to have been selected to represent the Kingdom and to have made the success on her own.
Dr. Muhammad H. Baluch, professor, Civil Engineering Department, KFUPM, and one of the show’s organizers stated that the “Glass Exotica” exhibit is a first attempt by the university to introduce cultural events that will help broaden the horizons of the university community.
“KFUPM is known as a center of scientific and technological excellence,” he said. “But we feel that it is time to acknowledge that life is about nourishing the soul as well as educating the mind. Maggi’s art demonstrates how science and talent can be combined to produce works of beauty and wonder.”
