Edmond Byrne
Edmond Byrne’s sculptural glasswork considers the concept of the environment most adeptly through the use of texture and colour. The work can take on the natural hues and qualities of autumnal leaf glows, the inner sheen of gemstones and the eroded patterns of the landscape.
In his current work, new glass vessels carry marks that reflect the moment of their making. Production begins with the building of fabric moulds dipped in slip clay to create textured surfaces. The molten glass is then blown in to the mould, picking up its texture and form. Each mould is unique and can only be used once.
I do a lot of drawing. My visual inspiration comes through interpreting the marks, gestures and energy of my drawings into glass. I’m intrigued by objects that have a resonance from the past. I add patina and cracks to the glass surface to recreate the weathering of ancient Roman glass. Subconsciously this places my vessels in the past becoming artefacts of the mind.
I use subtle colours in my work. This is achieved by blowing opaque colours very thinly so that their hues change. It causes them to become semi-transparent. Much of my work is dipped in a kaolin/water solution to create crazing and a patina effect.
Byrne graduated with a Bachelor of Design in Craft from the National College of Art and Design, Dublin in 2000 and completed a Higher Diploma in Art and Design Education in 2007. In 2008, Byrne went on to study for an MA at the Royal College of Art in London, finishing in 2010. He is currently based in Surrey, UK.
Collections
National Museum of Ireland
Numerous private collections nationally and internationally
Selected Awards
2017
Penland Fellowship – Shortlisted
Portfolio: Critical Selection – Winner
2015
Art and Craft Design Award – Shortlisted
Portfolio: Critical Selection – Winner
2011
Dan Klein Memorial Bursary
UCA Overseas Research Fund
2009
Pilchuck Partner Scholarship
2008 & 2006
Crafts Council of Ireland Travel and Research Bursary
2006
Crafts Council of Ireland Product Development Bursary
2004 – 2007
Crafts Council of Ireland Network Funding Bursary
Selected Exhibitions
Solo Exhibitions
2017
Edmond Byrne, Flow Gallery, London, UK
2016
Edmond Byrne, The New Craftsmen, London, UK
2006
Edmond Byrne, The Crow Gallery, Dublin
Group Exhibitions and Fairs
2018
“Reflections on Translucence”, group show with Studio Fusion Gallery, artist talk with Corinne Julius, London.
“Hot and Cold”, with London Glassblowing, London.
“Ensemble”, Solo Show with Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh.
“Heavenly Bodies Earthly Forms”, Joanna Bird Gallery, London.
2017
Narratives in Making, National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny
Narratives in Making as part of DCCOI Portfolio: Critical Selection, Ruthin Crafts Centre, Wales.
“Summer Group Show” with Galerie Rosenhauer, Göttiren, Germany.
Tresor, with Taste Contemporary, Basel, Switzerland
“Metameric: Colour as Fiction”, Solo Show, with Flow Gallery, London.
“First Open – Contemporary Craft Auction”, Christie’s, London.
“Made: A Celebration of Craft”, with Ruthin Craft Centre, UK.
“British Glass Biennale” Ruskin Glass Centre, The Glasshouse, Stourbridge. UK
2016
British Craft: The Miami Edit, Miami, USA
White Show, Antrim Castle House & Clotsworthy House, Antrim, UK; Flow Gallery, London, UK
In Residence II, Oliver Sears Gallery, London, UK
Redefining the Vessel, Mobilia Gallery, Massachusetts, USA
Material Symphysis, Foyer Gallery, Farnham, UK
2015
Bowls of Britain, The New Craftsmen, London, UK
Group Show, Gallery Ten, Edinburgh, Scotland
Glass 2015, Gallery Ten, Edinburgh, Scotland
British Glass Biennale, Ruskin Glass Centre, The Glasshouse, Stourbridge, UK
Side by Side, National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny; Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris, France
PORTFOLIO @ Solomon: Glass, Solomon Fine Art, Dublin
Modern Masters, Handwerkskammer für München und Oberbayern, Munich, Germany
Lights on, Flow Gallery, London, UK
The Irish Connection, The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
2015 & 2014
COLLECT, Saatchi Gallery, London
2014
Vetro, London Glassblowing, London
Opening Show, The New Craftsmen, London
2014-2012
SOFA Chicago, Flow Gallery, Chicago
2013
A Place to Gather, Justus Lipsius Building, Brussels, Belgium
Pop up Show, Museum of Contemporary Craft, Portland, USA
2012
London Design Festival, Rupert Cavendish Antiques, London, UK
Engaging With Glass, William Traver Gallery, Tacoma, USA
2011
Engaging With Glass, Solstice Arts Centre, Navan, Meath
Collection of One, DHM Digital Gallery, Oklahoma State University, USA
Making Sense: Craft and the Mind, Flow Gallery, London, UK
RDS National Crafts Competition, RDS Dublin, Dublin
2010-2006
RHA Annual Exhibition, RHA Gallery, Dublin
2010
Show One, The Henry Moore Gallery, Royal College of Art, London, UK
Work in Progress Show, Upper Gulbenkian Gallery, Royal College of Art, London, UK
2009
Ceramic Art London, Royal College of Art, London, UK
Miniature Exhibition, Kensington Hotel, London, UK
Organic Geometry, National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny
Visions in Glass, Glass Attic Gallery, Kilkenny
2008-2005
Sculpture in Context, National Botanic Gardens, Dublin
2007
Teapots, The Attic Gallery, Kilkenny
Gallery Representation
Contact Details:
Edmond Byrne
T. +44 (0)75 0889 1125
E. edmond.byrne@network.rca.ac.uk
www.edmondbyrne.com