Since the 1980s, Tony Hanning has refined his skills in sand-blasted glass to a remarkable degree, contrasting the effect of cameo glass for his pictorial representation. Here, Hanning has collaborated with British-born artist Richard Morrell, who arrived in Australia in 1979 and made significant contributions to the glass medium throughout the 1980s and 90s.
Sphere: Tuz bears an encasing of black over amber-coloured glass and demonstrates both artists’ technical precision in sandblasting. Across the surface of the vessel, a tightly compacted surrealist scene recalls the paintings of Giorgio de Chirico or Salvador Dali. Most notable is a human figure unfurling from the torso, surrounded by staircases, platforms, ribbons and geometric designs.