Yanjie Gao's Greenhouse Plants Blends Murano Glass with Family Metaphor
Created in 2025, Yanjie Gao's Greenhouse Plants showcases five sculptures made from blown glass, merging milky-white containers with clear components and red, plant-inspired shapes. The opaque white glass conceals the contents, while the red lines extend past the edges of the vessels, merging the inside with the outside. Gao contemplates familial bonds, delving into themes of care, expectations, and personal growth without citing particular incidents. Employing traditional Murano glass techniques, these vessels evoke notions of display and preservation, reminiscent of a greenhouse's safeguarding role. The dynamic red forms contrast with the glass, symbolizing an awareness of growth while remaining tied to the conditions that shape it. Greenhouse Plants fosters a conversation about materiality and space, emphasizing the interplay of care, expectation, and personal development.
Key facts
- Yanjie Gao created Greenhouse Plants in 2025.
- The work comprises five blown-glass sculptures.
- Materials include blown and cold-worked glass with cane work.
- Dimensions (H × W) are 47 × 10 cm, 55 × 13 cm, 42 × 16 cm, 57 × 18 cm, and 39 × 13 cm.
- The sculptures combine milky-white vessels with transparent elements and red, plant-like forms.
- Gao draws on traditional Murano glass techniques and decorative forms.
- The work reflects on family relationships, care, expectation, and individual development.
- The red plant forms extend beyond the vessels' boundaries, suggesting gradual extension rather than escape.
Entities
Artists
- Yanjie Gao