Sibylle Peretti Plumbs Intricate Relationships in Nature With New Body of Work

Sibylle Peretti a German-born artist who renders nature-inspired dreamscape will unveil a new body of work at her upcoming exhibition entitled "It Was Such a Beautiful Promise," where she explores a world of complex relationships and issues of survival.  Exhibiting at Callan Contemporary in New Orleans from May 4 to June 25, 2017, Peretti’s glass panels are a continuation of her previous work, The Land Behind, where she explored the effects imagination has on creating space. Compared to her earlier work, which exhibits similar themes, the glass artist evolves her use of external symbols, (i.e., bees, vegetation, and crystals) to a different found object: pearls.

Throughout history, pearls have been passed down through generations as an heirloom. The precious bead is more than a jewelry piece to Peretti, forming a symbol of “hope, healing, and resolution” she said in her prepared statement. "In my exhibition 'It was such a beautiful promise' animals and humans are placed into these landscapes in where they share the desire to collect and gather pearls," Peretti explained in an email exchange with the GLASS Quarterly Hot Sheet. "United in this mission they search for the promise of survival, purity, wealth and beauty which is embodied in the pearls. The work reflects on the fragile balance between weight, destruction and regrows and hope."

Desire is not the only emotive value to this new body of work. In her depictions of wildlife, pearls are rendered to look like food, shelter, or collectors items (like a squirrel with an acorn.) Gold, black, and blue beads do not take over the subdued images, but enhances the notion of symbiotic relationships between objects and individuals. Children are still a large theme in this collection of work and Peretti continues to explore connections between innocence and experience, as well as, vulnerability and strength in both children and animals. "The animals I use in this show belong to the species that utilize human dominated ecosystems," Peretti said. "They present the closest wildlife to us and we not only share the environment, but also same behavior and fate."

Peretti’s work is characteristically subdued and the addition of color was used to add another layer. The hues were created using dichroic techniques, where certain types of glass were incorporated to promote different colors depending on direction and light source. By adding this prismatic effect to her work, the artist created what she calls “magical matter” which will hopefully inspire viewers to enter into her dreamscape. “I always like to create places of wonder and mystery where everything is possible,” Peretti said.

This combination of beauty, adornment and yearning caters to Peretti’s complex vision of nature. Though glass, the artist is prompting viewers to look at their own relationship with nature through a different lens—like dreams and fairytales, anything is possible in the world of imagination.

- Hailey Clark