Jochen Holz

Jochen Holz is a glass artist whose innovative employment of lampworking, a form of glassblowing used primarily to make scientific equipment, is repurposing the technique in the design and art world. Indeed, whilst he has received training in scientific lampworking, Holz has chosen to practice it creatively, a radical departure from its traditional usage which positions him as one of the only people working in his field in the UK.

Through extensive practice, Holz has developed a distinct language in his craft. One example is his method for texturing clear glass tubes by pressing molten areas onto different surfaces such as perforated metal or wood, resulting in textured, undulating tableware. Always pushing perceived ideas of his material, Holz sees this tableware series–enriched with character, shape and history–as the antithesis of Walter Benjamin’s idea that glass is a ‘material with no aura’.
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His work with neon is similarly original. Examining the possibilities of sculptural lighting, he bypasses the conventional thin, wall-mounted lamps and opts instead for thick borosilicate glass tubing to create free-standing 3D shapes and immersive light installations.

Holz has developed work in a range of contexts from fashion jewelry for Peter Pilotto’s AW17 show to gallery work with See-ds and numerous design fairs such as Nomad Monaco and Miami Basel and Tresor and his latest solo show ‘disrupt’ with Make, Hauser and Wirth Somerset.

He has taught lampworking around the world from experimental research program RoboGlass (University of Taipei, Taiwan, 2014) to From 2d to 3D (Domaine de Boisbuchet, France, 2014) and London’s Festival of Stuff (UEL, 2016) and as visiting lecturer at the Rca ceramics and glass department.
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Exhibitions:

MIAMI

DESIGN MIAMI/ 2018

For this year’s Design Miami, The Future Perfect once again dropped anchor in Florida with some of the most exciting names in collectible American design in tow.
MIAMI

DESIGN MIAMI/ 2018

For this year’s Design Miami, The Future Perfect once again dropped anchor in Florida with some of the most exciting names in collectible American design in tow.

C.V.

Education

2001-2003  MA – Ceramics and Glass, Royal College of Art, London, UK

1997-2000  BFA – Glass, Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh, UK

1992-1995  Apprenticeship – Scientific Lampworking, Glasfachschule Hadamar, DE

Exhibitions

2020  “Modern Master” – HWK MĂŒnchen, Munich

2020  “Collect” – Seeds Gallery, London, UK

2020  “Make Space” – Hauser and Wirth, Somerset, UK

2019  “Design Miami/ 2018” – The Future Perfect, Miami, FL

2019  Showcase at Wolfson College, Oxford, UK

2019  “Masters of Disguise” – Seeds Gallery, London, UK

2019  “Superficies” – Flow Gallery, London, England, UK

2019  “New Glass” 25 Year Anniversary Show – Corning Museum, New York, NY

2018  “Design Miami/ 2018” – The Future Perfect, Miami, FL

2018  “Collect” – Saatchi Gallery with See-ds Gallery, London, UK

2018  “The House Electric” – A Plus A Gallery, Venice, IT

2018  “A Future Heritage” – Decorex, London, UK

2017  “Peter Pilotto: Town house takeover” – London Design Festival, London, UK

2017  “Tresor” – Contemporary Craft Fair, Basel, Switzerland

2017  “The Breakfast Pavillion” – A plus A Gallery and Studio M-L-XL, Venice, IT

2017  “Nomad Monaco” – Cumuliform Neon installation, Monaco

2017  “Peter Pilotto, Jewellery for Fashion show AW17”

2017  “Meta: Levels of Language, Strata of Matter’, Galleria Salvatore Lanteri, Milan, IT

2017  “Domestic Appeal” – Chamber Gallery, New York, NY

2017  “Supports-Surface” – See-ds, London, UK

2016  “Handicraft: Traditional Skills in the Digital Age” – MAK, Vienna, Austria

2016  “Show Collaboration with Tiago Almeida” – Momosan, London, UK

2016  “Ready Made Go” – Ace Hotel, London, UK

2016  “Just what is it” – Chamber Gallery, New York, NY

2016  “Decorex with the New Craftsmen” – London, UK

2016  “Martino Gamper and Friends” – See-ds, London, UK

2016  “The Future Lab” – Basel, Switzerland and Miami, FL

2016  “‘Guts’ Jochen Holz and Richard Wheater” – Neon Workshop, Wakefield, UK

2015  “Many a Slip” – Marsden Woo Summer Show, London, UK

2014  “Atemporaneo” – Apalazzo Art Gallery, Brescia, IT

2014  “Robo Glass” – Taipei University, Taiwan

Honors

2018  Winner of ‘Arts Foundation’ Prize

2015  Winner of commission competition ‘Guild of the Master Glass Sellers’

2004  Shortlisted for Bombay Sapphire Award

2003  Winner of Centre Prize Award

2000  RSA Bursary Award 6 month placement at Dartington Crystal

Publications

2018  Hole and Corner, May

2018  Crafts Magazine, March/April

2017  Brutus, June

2017  Novembre Magazine, Issue 11

2016  New York Times T-Magazine, September issue