Adam Hussain – portfolio

Contact the artist

https://www.ahcontemporaryglass.co.uk
07932 578603
adam@ahcontemporaryglass.co.uk

Exhibition information

This will be the first time that I have taken part in Oxfordshire Art Weeks and I’m looking forward to showcasing my handmade glass artworks to a new audience. I will have a selection of centrepiece bowls, plates, coater sets, light catchers and cityscape wall art. Commissions are also welcome.

I will be with a group of artists and makers exhibiting our creations at venue 276 ‘Art at Applegarth’. We will be in a large marquee in the grounds of the garden centre with lots of parking, coffee and cake. 

I design and make contemporary glass art from concept to installation for a variety of different markets; these include artworks for galleries, corporate and private commissions, public commissions and interiors for homes and businesses. In 2018 I installed a twenty-four panelled glass wall installation at Coventry University, after a  nine-year art residency. 

I specialise in kiln-form techniques to create one off artworks, which have a handmade character. My award winning artworks ‘A Fine Line’ were featured in ‘Vogue’s Contemporary Collection’ for the home. These are constructed with 1mm glass stringers to create geo-metric patterns and abstract imagery of cityscapes. The relationship between glass, light and space is a key element in my studio practice; by using both transparent and opaque glass I experiment with the transmitted and reflective light created by each artwork. 

My black and white photography of modern architecture and cityscapes often initiates research and my studio practice has developed by utilising these images. The works of modern painters such as Mondrian and Rothko for their use of bold and vivid colours inspires me; the abstract nature of my art is a fusion of all these factors. 

Artist information

At the age of 29 I decided to have a change of career from working in the catering and hospitality industry. I went to study full time at Coventry University for four years. First I did an Art and Design foundation course, followed by a Contemporary Crafts degree. 

It was in this period that I found my passion for working with warm glass processes. Unfortunately there was no glass department, so I did some external courses in glass blowing, cold techniques and kiln work. I loved the kiln-forming, so I stated to experiment with using float glass in ceramic kilns, which wasn’t ideal. 

In my final year I had a studio built at the back of our garden in coventry, purchased a glass kiln and started my creative business. It was at this point that I started to only use ‘Bullseye’ glass in my making, I just love how vibrant the colours are and range of products that they offer.

I graduated in 2008 with a ‘First’ and I was the overall winner of a student design competition with Volvo Group UK. I was commissioned to design and create a site specific installation for the foyer of their head offices in Warwick, this award kickstarted my corporate and lager scale artworks.

In the first few years of my studio practice I was developing my first collection ‘Interference’ which was made from glass sheets and 1mm stringers (rods). The designs were inspired by abstract geo-metric patterns and cityscapes, this became my signature collection. I exhibited these award winning artworks at the Craft Council’s Origin, through craft galleries and at other Contemporary Craft events, like the Contemporary Craft Festival. 

In the early part of my creative career I worked on a public commission for the Cultural Olympiad called ‘Godiva Awakes’. This was an amazing art project to be involved with and very different from my usual commissioned work. 

My most exciting creative job to date, was my art residency at the Engineering and Computing Building on campus at Coventry University. Over a number of years this gave me the opportunity to work alongside architects, archaeologists, building contractors and university staff. To create the twenty four panels of kiln-formed glass, I moved my creative business to the Custard Factory in Digbeth, Birmingham. At this point I was also the Craft Council’s Talent Ambassador for the West Midlands.

After a few years in Birmingham I moved my creative business back to Coventry, as a larger studio space became available closer to home. I also had an exhibition space called the ‘Blue Door Gallery’, which I hired out to emerging and established artists. When the gallery wasn’t in use, I used it to showcase my artworks to customers and for online videos and studio tours.

I have now come full circle and my studio is back at home, giving me more time to focus on my studio practice and get involved with more opportunities.