John Kiley

When I was a child, our house underwent a remodel and the yard was messy, full of piles of soil and mud; in short, a boy’s paradise.  A favorite pastime of the neighborhood kids was engaging in dirt-clot throwing wars on our backyard battleground.

One day, while preparing for a battle, I picked up a pile of ammunition and began to fashion it into what would be the perfect muddy weapon.  Slowly and deliberately I formed it with my bare hands until the amorphous clot of mud began to take the form of a ball.  I became obsessed, shaping for probably an hour, and eventually created a perfect sphere.

To me, this tennis ball sized object seemed much too perfect to sacrifice in battle, so I placed it in a small glass dish, and hid it inside the tool shed.  There it lived, until one spring day when I decided that I would impress my fellow combatants. Upon revealing the sphere, not a single one of my comrades believed that it was merely dirt.  They were all sure that it must be a ball coated with mud.  I pondered the options: return my treasure to the shed, or break it open and impress my friends?  At this moment, none of us knew what the outcome would be.

Looking at the broken pile of earth, splayed out on the sidewalk, I felt a sense of pride that I had created something so perfect, and a sense of loss that I ruined it.  Gazing upon what was left, clearly a broken sphere, rounded edges still intact, with the rough inside sections casting shadows, questions arose: which is more beautiful; intact or sectioned, outside or inside, shapes or shadows?  Why was I so drawn to this spherical form and now its broken remnants?

The glass sculptures that I make are an effort to re-create this experience. Openings allow the viewer to peer through the sculptures where distinct separate colored sections are fused together to become one.  Through my work ask questions about precariousness and preciousness, while also recalling my own experiences of being in relationship. The fragility of glass allows a tension to exist between viewer, sculpture and sculptor, hopefully creating a sense of concern for objects that may be considered simultaneously strong yet precarious, beautiful yet breakable.

 

John Kiley Bio

 

American, b. 1973, Seattle, USA, based in Seattle and San Francisco, USA.

John Kiley, a renowned artist at the forefront of contemporary glass sculpture, is known for his groundbreaking exploration at the intersection of sculpture, blown glass, and architectural forms. With a unique blend of technical expertise and artistic vision, Kiley’s work transcends boundaries with a dynamic interplay of light, structure, and spatial relationships.

Kiley’s affinity for glass was evident from an early age. As a teenager, he experimented with painting on glass. Later, he refined his skills through formal training and apprenticeships with master artists, including 16 years with Lino Tagliapietra, developing a deep understanding of traditional glassblowing and fabrication techniques.

Kiley’s sculptures frequently incorporate individual elements into larger frameworks, showcasing his meticulous attention to detail and risk-taking approach. Whether creating towering structures, intricate blown glass orbs, or delicately assembled shattered blocks, each series exemplifies his ability to seemingly defy gravity. Through this creative process, he explores the inherent tension between chaos and order, strength and fragility, resulting in works that evoke metamorphosis and the intrinsic beauty of imperfection.

In addition to his solo work, Kiley is known for his collaborative projects with architects, engineers, and other master artists, pushing the boundaries of what is possible within the realm of glass in sculpture. His willingness to experiment with scale, materials, and techniques have earned him widespread acclaim and recognition, with his work featured in galleries, museums, and public spaces worldwide.

SELECTED COLLECTIONS
The Museum Of Glass, Tacoma, WA
The Shanghai Museum of Glass, Shanghai, China
Sandy Baklor & Arlene Kaufman
Al Berger & Carol Auerbach
Jeffrey Bronfman
The Kaplan/Ostergaard Collection
Frank Everett
Sir Elton John
Perry Farrell
Jim Flaws and Marcia Weber
Snohomish County
The Seven Bridges Foundation
Emirates Airlines
Fly Dubai Airlines
Qatar Airlines