Elevated Conversations

5th - 26th April 2024
Gallery Thirty Three, Wanaka

Remote mountainous landscapes hold the stimulus for Di Tocker’s latest cast glass sculptures in Elevated Conversations. Suspended in gentle, alpine colors, intimate figures sit upon bold, angular forms. The figures converse in harmony and calmness above the storm, while the rocky, creviced shapes exist below. Di says she finds a powerful purpose in remote connection. After recent outdoor adventures, Di noted the importance of, “allowing yourself to completely disconnect from ‘things’ to be able to reconnect with yourself and subsequently others”.

New textures emphasise the earthy, natural elements in Di’s glasswork. Initially sculpted from wax, the casting process is physical and labourious, involving multiple technical processes before the idea becomes an illuminating lead crystal object. Hand building large plaster molds, operating power tools, and tenuous polishing techniques are all part of Di Tocker’s grungy cast glass process. A strong attention to detail, emotive storytelling, and two decades of studio experience are obvious in her bespoke works of glass. 

Di uses stark contrast and moody tension to build a sweeping narrative within these dramatic artworks. She adds, “the physical journey [to the mountain top] is a personal endeavour, but it can bring people together”. Told through exaggerated, natural frames and peaceful figures, her work is a vivid display of disconnecting to reconnect.