Blue World is an extraordinary solo exhibition by Emma Varga, one of Australia’s most prominent glass artists.
Emma Varga has focused on the flora and landscape of the many places she has either travelled to or lived over the years. She is continually inspired by the memories of her birthplace in Ada, in the former Yugoslavia, where she would look out her bedroom window at the ever changing vine travelling down the wall, along with the many colours within the fields around her home. As an artist she has spent time in areas of the USA such as Palm Springs and has embraced in her work the vibrancy that such a desert location provides. Her connection with the Sydney coastline where she has lived since coming to Australia is possibly her greatest motivation when creating her art. The unique combination of the sea, sky, land and light where she lives are a continual stimulus and her greatest sense of place.
Emma has connections with colour in a wonderful way and her artworks in glass are an acknowledgment of her understanding of the feelings associated with each one. The emotions that are triggered by those colours is what makes you want to spend time looking further into the artworks and their finer detail.
With Blue World Emma looks beyond the land and towards the oceans surrounding Australia and the landscape beyond. The Great Barrier Reef and Antarctica are environments she has included in this exhibition, and their strong connection with the colour blue is prominent in a number of artworks.
We live in a world of many colours, Blue World is a reminder of what is wonderful in the world, and shouldn’t be lost.
Emma Varga, 2017
