An exhibition catalogue of Back to the Future - Contemporary Glass Inspired by the Past which took place from 28 September till 17 October 2018 at the Association of Arts, Pretoria. This show presents seventeen South African artists using glass as part of their oeuvre and was curated by Lothar Böttcher.

1. BACKTO THE
futurecontemporary glass inspired by the past
A Contemporary Glass Exhibition
28 September -17 October 2018
Association of Arts
Pretoria

2. Pretoria is a proverbial melting-pot for creative glass.
With this in mind several contemporary protagonists using
glass in their oeuvre have been invited to exhibit new works
which are inspired or reference the broad history of glass
globally.
The suggested parameter is glass art, objects, tools and/or
artefacts which predate 1900. This can be a stained glass
window from a cathedral, a venetian goblet, Libyan desert
glass ,a prehistoric spear tip and much much more.
This exhibition aims to further cement our small glass
community’s vernacular as part of the global vitreous
dialogue.
Back to the Future is curated by Lothar Böttcher and runs
from 28 September till 17 October 2018.
Association of Arts Pretoria
Artists:
• Olwethu de Vos
• Gordon Froud
• Caitlin Greenberg
• Mike Hyam
• Martli Jansen van Rensburg
• Thabang Monoa
• Kgotso Pati
• Maxi Pretorius
• Ian Redelinghuys
• Liesl Roos
• Nicole Rowe
• Mbali Tshabalala
• Diane Victor
• Retief van Wyk
• Marileen van Wyk
• Berco Wilsenach
• Lothar Böttcher
BACKTO THE
future
contemporary glass
inspired by the past

3. Back to the Future
Thank you to the Association of Arts Pretoria, Pieter van
Heerden and a special thanks to Nandi Hilliard for all their
effort and constant support in making this, the second
major glass art exhibition in Pretoria, possible.
Incidentally, the Art Association turned 71 this year and I
wish this institution many more years promoting and
supporting contemporary artists from and around Pretoria.
Pretoria is also home to the glass faculty at the Tshwane
University of Technology offering glass blowing, casting,
kiln work, flame work and cold work. This is the only one of
its kind on the African continent…
Back to the Future is an oxymoron. How can one return to
that which lies ahead… ? The title elaborates further -
Contemporary Glass Inspired by the Past.
As curator and instigator I wanted to challenge the
narrative, suggesting a parameter of inspiration where
artefacts predating 1900 should be considered and
translated into a contemporary glass object or glass
narrative.
This almost magical material permeates our everyday lives.
It keeps bugs from flying into our face whilst driving down
the street; contains that vintage wine; and allows us to like
all those millions of pictures on our digital devices…
It was during the Roman empire, over two thousand years
ago, that glass making became wide spread. Through their
ingenuity, patronage and appreciation they transformed a
secret society into a large manufacturing business within
their times.
To this day not much has changed in the hand-made glass
industry. Sure, we are using electric furnaces and water jet
cut profiles, but the general principles of heating sand, soda
and lime and shaping, casting, rolling, cutting, floating and
blowing is still a standard.
Glass has also catapulted our notion of where we are in this
amazing cosmos. Hans Lippershey invented the telescope
and it was Galileo who pointed it to the heavens and
discovered moons around Jupiter and mountains on the
moon.
Antoni van Leeuwenhoek perfected little glass droplets as
lenses to discover “animalcules” writhing in droplets of
water.
Some say we are living in the age of glass now. Without it
all contemporary communication would be impossible, from
the terra-bits blasting through optical fibres to that little 4
inch screen in your pocket.
I would also like to acknowledge that not all the glass
makers and shakers of Pretoria are represented in this
exhibition and hope that this show will kindle conversation
and planning for the next chapter…
Lastly and definitely not least, I would like to thank all the
artists who participated in this exhibition. Without your
creative spirits this show and our local glass community
would not be possible. You are amazing!
The future for South African glass looks bright!
Lothar Böttcher (Curator)

4. Olwethu de Vos
Negation of the other
Glass, copper and wire
48 x 48 x 11cm

5. Olwethu de Vos
Negation of the other
In an age where technology and technological expansions have reached an
all-time high and are continually advancing, the idea of Nano biotechnological
human enhancements, cyber intelligence and Artificial Intelligence or AI as it is
commonly known are not farfetched ideas. Robotic advancements, the
internet, social media and information overload, shape the contemporary
society.
I work predominantly in glass and I fuse iron rods, electrical cable, wire and
various other found objects with my glass and in my work. My work
incorporates microchips patterns as symbolism to the various technologies. I
superimpose them over fragmented and distorted human faces to reflect the
overload of information. My blown glass works have minimal finishes, and
have a likeness of the robotic sentinels from the famous 2008 science fiction
block buster called the Matrix.
Humans have become so dependent on technology and with reason as these
advancements make life easier for all. However this warrants caution. Has the
race become so reliant on technology that life without it wouldn’t be possible?
What would destroy mankind, taking it away or creating more of it? This is the
dichotomy I aim to discuss with my works. The dawn of the post-humanism

6. Column (after Brancusi)
Found objects (lampshades) reworked
200 x 30 x 30cm
Growth with feeling
Found objects reworked
30 x 25 x 9cm
Gordon Froud

7. Gordon Froud
Growth with feeling; Column (after Brancusi); Tulip Sonata; The one in ten, a number on a list
I have worked with multiples of found objects in my practice for many years. For this exhibition, I have utilised
glass measuring devices from laboratories along with other glass objects to construct new forms thus using
the old (past) to create the new (future). These forms may remind the viewer of my virus works shown in the
last 10 or so years. The Column (After Brancusi) is fashioned out of 1970's lampshades in white glass.
The one in ten, a number on a list
Found objects reworked
9 x 22 x 25cm
Tulip Sonata
Found objects reworked
28 x 30 x 30cm

8. Caitlin Greenberg
Trade
Cristalica glass and mixed media
250 x 40cm

9. Caitlin Greenberg
Trade
The slave trade started in Africa 200 - 300 AD, with glass beads being
one of the major imported goods from South East Asia and the Middle
East, then later from Venice, Portugal and the Netherlands. The term
‘slave beads’ crudely came about when Westerners used the term
“the uncivilised of the world” when referring to Africans.
The exploitation of South Africa’s natural resources included slaves;
peoples’ lives were traded for a simple glass bead. Slave beads were
exchanged for human cargo which was in turn traded for other desired
goods.
As a current practicing glass artist in Africa I aim to pay homage to
those who lost loved ones due to the glass bead slave trade. How can
glass beads be of equal value to a life? May these current plaster cast
glass impressions of my feet create a virtuous path forward for glass in
Africa.

10. Mike Hyam
Salaheddin
Glass, steel and plywood
23 x 80 x 37cm

11. Mike Hyam
Salaheddin
This artwork is a tribute to all people, especially women and children, whose
lives are torn apart by senseless wars. The name ‘Salaheddin’ is a group of
traditional Syrian glass blowers who have for hundreds of years made
functional objects and lights as their family tradition. The artist was fortunate
to see the beautiful blown glass at the International Folk Art Market in Santa
Fe in 2016. Unfortunately the artists could not attend due the war in Syria.
In this artwork a small version of the traditional Syrian lights is encased in cast
glass. The Syrian cities where these people live and try to uphold their family
and religious traditions are being devastated by American bombs – In
particular the MK2 FIN GUIDED BOMB, which fragments have been found in
various parts of Syria.

12. Martli Jansen van Rensburg
Fleeting memory
Blown glass and mild steel
80 x 80 x 30cm

13. Martli Jansen van Rensburg
Fleeting Memories
I’ve always been a collector of memories, collecting objects that I’ve found
through my travels abroad, objects that I have inherited from my grand mother
and mother. These objects vary from treasures from my childhood to my
mothers reading glasses. All these objects carries memories that I hold dear
and these objects have found a special place in a display case in my living
room. When I pick them up I can remember a landscape, smells, feelings and
people of a different time in my life.
In this artwork I’ve blown glass pieces and I push these memories into the hot
glass. They fade into the glass, like a ghost image, these memories also fade
and make place for new memories to come.

14. Thabang Monoa
Time collapsed
Glass
38 x 80cm

15. Thabang Monoa
Time collapsed
The title of this work, Time Collapsed (2018), is a response to the theme of the
exhibition: Back to the Future. When scrutinized closely, this theme has an
interesting paradox that engages with notions of temporality where time is
thought to be cyclical; and the act of gesturing towards the future involves,
conversely, a reflection into the past. In this sense, time is never linear and is
perhaps marginal; involved in an endless process of becoming. In view of
certain technical and conceptual attributes that glass has, this state of
marginality or “in-betweenness” is resembled quite convincingly when
considering its ambiguous nature as a solid and/or liquid material. Even more
so, when considering its taxonomical fluidity. Thus, this work is speaking to
my observation of glass’ propensity to elude fixity; henceforth collapsing into
a marginal space that is constantly “becoming”.

16. Kgotso Pati
Every drop counts I
Glass
30 x 30 x 30cm

17. Kgotso Pati
Every drop counts
South Africa is experiencing the biggest drought since
the early 1900s, which is directly affecting property
owners. Water security begins and ends at the
individual level. The issue is not only how much water
we have; it is also a matter of how people understand
what water security means in their daily lives,
especially considering that the governance and
distribution of water are challenged, water scientist at
the CSIR.
However the good news is that there are always
solutions to our problems. This much would seem
obvious, the less water that is used and the more
water that is saved will go a long way towards
addressing the current shortages, every drop counts.
Every drop counts II
Mixed media
39 x 50cm

18. Maxi Pretorius
Present
Blown glass
38 x 27 x 27cm

19. Maxi Pretorius
Past, Present, Future
My glass was inspired by Art Nouveau. A style of decorative art, architecture, and design
prominent in western Europe and the USA from about 1890 until the First World War and
characterised by intricate linear designs and flowing curves based on natural forms.
Art Nouveau Glass normally consists of curvy lines, stylised flowers and leaves, and often
an oily, iridescent finish.
Past
Blown glass
25 x 16 x 16cm
Future
Blown glass
27 x 23 x 23cm

20. Ian Redelinghuys
All together
Centrifugal cast glass
34 x 34 x 13cm

21. Ian Redelinghuys
All together
The impetus/inspiration for this piece is taken
from the drive (and misuse) of mankind to act in
a united manner, thus unity with no cohesion.
Togetherness with no realisation cynically still.
All together
Centrifugal cast glass
34 x 34 x 13cm

22. Liesl Roos
Disolve
Kiln formed glass
45 x 33cm

23. Liesl Roos
Dissolve & Ghosts
A personal cosmology, my work combines
photographic imagery, archival photographs and
painting techniques to create imagery that explores
ideas around identity, transformation and the notion of
home. Morphing reality by manipulating images, my
work enquires how identity is a process and not a fixed
principle, an ever changing development. Feeling
simultaneously rooted and removed from South Africa
my work is a personal exploration of being human;
behaviour, emotional states and the idea of home as an
existential character (seeking somewhere to identify
with is seeking your own identity).
In these glass pieces I consider memory as part of the
construction of the self. Exploring these familiar and
unfamiliar spaces - uncertainty and anxiety, the
unknown and nostalgic, the familiar and the foreign - I
investigate the ambiguity and contradictions I feel
within myself in this environment, seeing the human
body as a site of re-imagination and possibility.
Ghost
Kiln formed glass
45 x 33cm

24. Nicole Rowe
Kalos
Digital printed clear glass and navy blue rough rolled glass
65 x 65cm
Photo: Rupert de Beer

25. Nicole Rowe
Kalos
I love peering through a scope, staring at tiny, beautiful and vibrant glass
pieces. What a mesmerising invention by Sir David Brewster patented in
1817. The slightest turn of a hand and these tiny glass fragments rapidly and
magically transform into a variety of colourful patterns. Life is like a
kaleidoscope! Mesmerising and altering continuously.
With this in mind I took a photograph of a flower which I altered into a
kaleidoscope. Flowers are fragile and can be crushed with the touch of your
hands. This symbolises the fragility of our state of mind.
The soul and body was portrayed by cutting up different coloured glass into
triangular fragments according to a diagram of Sir David Brewster's patterns
of a polycentral kaleidoscope. I added images of chakras and stars - chakras
representing the internal light emitting within us, which is our soul, and stars
representing our bodies, which consist of the same elements as stars.
I then overlaid the two images by superimposing these three elements. I am
expressing the wondrous power you have in just the turn of your hand. You
have the abilities of creating infinite, kaleidoscopic patterns into the fabric of
your very existence through the slightest alterations of your body, mind and
soul.

26. Mbali Tshabalala
Untitled
Blown glass
29 x 10 x 10cm & 23 x 10 x 10cm

27. Mbali Tshababalal
Untitled & Untitled
This work uses cartography as a physical theme, using topographic
abstraction to draw from 19th century cameo glass style formalist
characteristics and merge them with modernist abstraction.

28. Diane Victor
Little sleep
Smoke on glass, shadow
40 x 37 x 27cm

29. Diane Victor
A Little Sleep
A little sleep, a little slumber
A little folding of the hands to sleep
A little love, a little hate, babe
A little trickery and deceit
Foi Na Cruz- Nick Cave
My interest in working with smoke and glass was in the potential for the
smoke drawing to throw a shadow of itself onto another surface.
Smoke is a fragile and unsubstantial medium and when used as a drawing
tool on a glass sheet becomes even more ghost like as the translucence and
transparency of the material is made more obvious than when it is caught on
paper.
Despite this translucence the ghost of a smoke drawing can throw a distorted,
darker shadow, which appear may far more substantial and real than the
original drawing made of smoke.

30. Marileen van Wyk
Eclectic
Glass
ca. 17 x 8 x 8cm each

31. Marileen van Wyk
Eclectic
I have always been fascinated by the way wine glass stems have been
decorated throughout time, some to the point of being completely non-
functional. The wine glass stems that show skill and beauty are the most
attractive to me and I tried to make stems that is beautiful to me and hopefully
show some comparable skill.

32. Retief van Wyk

33. Retief van Wyk
Crawling
The derivation of this work stems from a
flat Victorian Hand-rolled Seedy sheet
glass from the early 1900’s. The glass
is uneven, scratched and shows
beautiful imperfections and textures.
Sheet glass is multi faceted with
workable surface behind, in front and
also (with acquired skill) inside it. I work
on all these levels to create visual
images. The glass is fused, sand
blasted, etched, fired, painted,
screened, often multiple times to create
the desired effects. The final glass
“plate” is then photographed and
printed.
The art work is not glass per se, or even
about glass. The glass medium is used
as a means to an end. The work is
manufactured or prepared, using the
unique translucency, depth and texture
of glass. It ends up as a work of art, on
paper, on the wall, behind glass.
Crawling
Canon Lucia pro ink printed 360gsm Hahnemühle
museum etching paper
60 x 60cm
Photo: Retief van Wyk

34. Berco Wilsenach
Crated (Undescribed)
Crated (Undescribed)
Sandblasted glass with lighting elements
58 x 58 x 24cm
Photo: Carla Crafford

35. Berco Wilsenach
Crated (Undescribed)
The ‘Blaschka’ glass models (late 19th early 20th century) were biological
representations of the increasing fascination with our natural world. They are
renowned for their extreme delicacy and remarkable accuracy.
Just more than a century later, mankind has expanded to such an extent,
polluting and encroaching onto the natural habitat of thousands of species,
that the survival of these fauna and flora is very unlikely. All that will remain
will be the documentation of a bygone era.

36. Lothar Böttcher
Obsession
Hand carved, cut and polished optical crystal, steel
161 x 50 x 70cm
Pocket Lens
Hand ground & polished optical crystal
17 x 7 x 1,5cm

37. Lothar Böttcher
Obsession
Obsession enlarges the concept of the Pocket Lens where one can now
peer through the framed lens “head”. This kinetic sculpture resembles our
21st century obsessive indulgence with those hand held digital windows
through which we experience and form opinions of the world around us
and beyond. I reference our innate inquisitive nature which gave rise to
discoveries through a glass lens – as Galileo peering into the heavens and
Van Leeuwenhoek discovering “animalcules” in droplets of water and the
general essence of the “Natural Philosopher”.
Crystal Bloom
The origin of glass, per se, is sand. Sand originated from stone and stone
in its part makes up the crust of our planet. It’s not just any stone but
sandstone in particular I am using in my Crystal
Bloom sculptures, where glass blossoms emerge from the seemingly
mundane. Ironically, I also use stone wheels to make my optical incisions
in the glass and use minerals to polish these cuts back to bright. Crystal
Bloom is also a metaphor of amalgamation, where different techniques and
collaborations combine into a narrative - much like our glass community as
a whole.
Pocket Lens
Through my Pocket Lenses I reference Homo Faber - “Man the maker”.
Obsidian is a natural glass created through volcanic eruptions. Ancient
man recognised advantages in this material, notably its sharp edge for
making knives, hand axes, spear points and jewellery out of these natural
shards. Today we still use hand held tools, notably glass tools in the form
of smart phones. We might not be skinning a deer with these
contemporary wedges but have transformed global societies through the
little window they offer.
Crystal Bloom
Hand blown, cut & polished glass, sand stone, steel
21 x 32 13cm

38. Contact
• Olwethu de Vos
076 959 8247
olwethudevos@gmail.com
• Gordon Froud
084 423 8635
gordon@gordartgallery.com
• Caitlin Green berg
084 726 2970
c.greenberg1@gmail.com
• Mike Hyam
082 652 4490
mikehyam@mweb.co.za
• Martli Jansen van Rensburg
082 457 1674
martli@moltenglass.co.za
• Thabang Monoa
073 070 0371
tmonoa31@gmail.com
• Kgotso Pati
083 597 2056
kgotsopati@gmail.com
• Maxi Pretorius
082 956 9055
maxipretorius@hotmail.com
• Ian Redelinghuys
082 880 7076
ianredhaus@gmail.com
• Liesl Roos
082 560 6932
liesl_roos@yahoo.com
• Nicole Rowe
072 713 3259
nicolerowe@ymail.com
• Mbali Tshabalala
062 392 7698
mbalitshabalala@hotmail.com
• Diane Victor
083 226 8796
divictorv46@gmail.com
• Retief van Wyk
083 291 0917
glassforming@gmail.com
• Marileen van Wyk
083 530 2800
glassforming@gmail.com
• Berco Wilsenach
082 926 7414
bercowilsenach@gmail.com
• Lothar Böttcher
083 276 7594
lotharbottcher@gmail.com
Association of Arts Pretoria
173 Mackie Street
Nieuw Muckleneuk, Pretoria
Tel: 012 346 3100
artspta@mweb.co.za
www.artspta.co.za
Like us on Facebook: https://
www.facebook.com/pretoriaartsassociation
Pieter van Heerden
082 774 4390
Nandi Hilliard
083 288 5117

39. All photos by Lothar Böttcher except :
Kalos - Rupert de Beer
Crawling - Retief van Wyk
Crated (Undescribed) - Carla Crafford© Lothar Böttcher - 2018