Elizabeth Parsons
Nicole Polentas — 'Θ (theta/ θήτα)', 2025
Θ (theta/ θήτα) draws on the cyclical nuances of death, grief and rebirth through a coalescing of material, substance and experiential reflection. The eighth letter of the Greek alphabet, theta presents the intimate interplay between thought and reason, wherein process and deep contemplation emerge. Theta traverses life and death,fluidity and transition which is synthesised through a medical lens.
The classical urn form reconfigures and abstracts medical imaging by extracting the vibrant colours used to differentiate between tissues and types of abnormalities.Vibrant colours have also been reported by patients in palliative care, particularly nearing the time of death.
Devoid of physical contents, the urn metaphorically embodies our liminal state of
being.
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Nicole Polentas is a Greek Australian multidisciplinary artist with a focus on contemporary jewellery and object. Her practice is defined by an ongoing investigation of text and symbolism in order to produce abstracted conceptual works. Combing diverse mediums, the objects activate a dialogue which is grounded in the artist’s personal and cultural experiences. She has received a Bachelor of Fine Arts, a Masters of Fine Arts and a PhD in 2015 at RMIT University. Nicole has successfully exhibited both nationally and internationally including Melbourne Now’13 at The NGV, A Fine Possession: Jewellery and Identity at the Powerhouse Museum and Schmuck in Munich. Nicole has held solo shows in Australia , Europe and the US. She has won numerous awards and her work is included in collections of the Powerhouse Museum, Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery, The Bluestone Collection in Melbourne, The MacMillan Collection at RMIT University and the Museum Espace Solidor in Cagnes-sur-Mer. She has been a sessional lecturer in Gold and Silversmithing at RMIT University since 2015.
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Glass Futures
September 18 – November 1
Glass Futures presents a collection of works produced during an intensive masterclass at r.a.g.e, led by renowned glass artist Giles Bettison and artist-educator Lienors Torre. This body of work showcases how participants engaged with the intricacies of pattern and form in glass, inspired by the centuries-old Venetian tradition of murrine. Working with Bullseye sheet glass rather than traditional furnace glass, participants developed a contemporary take on this technique under Bettison’s tutelage. Once vessels were formed in the hot shop, Torre introduced various coldworking processes, allowing for intricate surface refinement and the elevation of each work to a new level of clarity and expression.
At its heart, Glass Futures is a dialogue between tradition and innovation. Anchored in the lineage of Australian studio glass, this exhibition celebrates the transfer of material knowledge to a new generation of makers. The resulting works embody the rhythm of process — layered, fused, shaped and carved — revealing glass as a medium that is at once enigmatic and precise.
For participants at different stages in their careers, this masterclass was both a technical and artistic threshold: an invitation to refine skill whilst articulating an individual voice. Together, the works in Glass Futures testify to the vitality of independent glass education in Australia, offering a glimpse into the bold and evolving future of the medium.
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, as well as generous support from Bullseye Glass, Craft Victoria, and r.a.g.e.
Artist List – Eva Alisic, Ruth Allen, Giles Bettison, Laura de Carteret, Nick Doran Adams, Cheryl Edwards, Juniper Maffescioni, Clare Millar, Elizabeth Parsons, Nicole Polentas, Michelle Stewart, Lienors Torre, Keely Varmalis
Read more about the exhibition here:
Material: Bullseye glass, gold
Dimensions: Approx 17 x 10 x 10cm
Please note when purchasing, exhibition works are to be collected when exhibition closes.
Shipping costs may be estimates. Please feel free to contact shop@craft.org.au who will be available to provide an Art Courier quote or shipping costs for larger items.