R & Company is excited to announce a solo exhibition of new works by iconic glass artist Jeff Zimmerman opening at 64 White Street on November 6. This visionary exhibition is Zimmerman’s most comprehensive exhibition to date with the gallery. Zimmerman’s expansive career spans over two decades and ranges from intricate unique works to large scale custom commissions. As one of the leading international glass artists, Zimmerman has been a pioneer in pushing the boundaries of the material forward through his innovative and technical approaches to creating one of a kind designs.
The exhibition debuts Zimmerman’s latest designs that build upon his versatile body of work and push the concepts and aesthetics he has been developing for years to an elevated level. Spanning across the upper floor gallery and cascading down through the 40 foot atrium space, Zimmerman has re-imagined and transformed the gallery into a mesmerizing environment full of unique glass works. This immersive installation introduces an entirely new series of functional pieces that vary in technique, texture, color, scale, and form. On view is a collection of unique customizable illuminated sculptures, wall pieces, glass vessels and crystal sconces that are presented alongside a series of abstract photographs made in collaboration with Doug Piburn that document exquisite details of Zimmerman’s glass designs.
Zimmerman’s practice is fundamentally influenced by the process of glass creation and he is instrumental in pushing the medium forward by blurring the boundaries between art, design and craft. Working by hand in his studio, Zimmerman has mastered the skill of glassblowing and is continually reinventing this ancient technique with experimental processes and innovative approaches. Zimmerman is able to both manipulate the material and allow for accidents to naturally occur from the medium itself. For the exhibition, Zimmerman marries diverse approaches to this craft to create unexpected works that are simultaneously biomorphic and geometrical.
With the new expansive body of work, Zimmerman continues to draw inspiration from nature and furthers his research and investigation of the natural world. Also influenced by astronomy and metaphysics, Zimmerman closely studies the galaxy, milky way, big bang, and cosmos to discover new abstract forms and concepts. Zimmerman states “To make the invisible visible, from the minute to the infinite, to illustrate the possibilities of what we are surrounded by what we are made of and where we come from. We are all made of stars.” His exploration into materials, patterns and natural structures directly parallels the bold and seductive forms that he is able to conceive. Zimmerman’s passion in conjunction to his fluid approach to glassblowing has resulted in a collection of seductive and timeless designs. Presented together on view at the gallery, the exhibition is a demonstration of poetic glass expressions that capture the mystical and singular beauty of the outside world.
New Works by Jeff Zimmerman is on view from November 6 until December 21 at R & Company’s 64 White Street location and runs concurrently with the exhibition Modern in Your Life: The “Good Design” Phenomenon 1934-1959.