Michael Behrens plays with the idea of movement and balance in massive solid glass objects. Embodying decades of personal sensory experiences, Behrens’ sculptures appear almost naturally grown.
Deliberately random shapes line organic inner structures, velvet and transparent surfaces alternate, thereby creating a dynamic harmony of inside and outside. “I’ve always enjoyed nature, the sea, the underwater .....
Michael Behrens plays with the idea of movement and balance in massive solid glass objects. Embodying decades of personal sensory experiences, Behrens’ sculptures appear almost naturally grown.
Deliberately random shapes line organic inner structures, velvet and transparent surfaces alternate, thereby creating a dynamic harmony of inside and outside. “I’ve always enjoyed nature, the sea, the underwater world – this made me start creating the Seaform series,” he says, “We are coming from nature and we will go to nature again. I want to stay aware of this moving cycle.”
Behrens began experimenting with melting glass in the early 2000s by adapting the ancient technique to create abstract objects. He finally founded his own casting studio because of the complexity of the working process. It took several years, using modern techniques and testing the limits of materials, until he was able to finish his objects in perfection.
THE SEAFORM SERIES
Behrens’s has developed his exclusive and noteable style in his career. The Seaforms series embodies decades of his personal sensory experiences above and below water. The resulting works appear almost natural in nature, grown in the wild and then ossified, frozen in time.
The diverse color range and interior movement varies as if created organically by the environment while each shape and structure provide a strong and powerful appearance. The natural and random appearance of the artist’s works is created by the exterior form and the specific details: The fine modeling of the subareas and edges, the interplay of matt and polished surfaces as well as the cell-like structures emerging from fusing of the glass sections.
Over the years Michael has perfected his glass casting process and has become one of the most recognized German sculptors in his field. His creation process begins with the sculpturing of his models out of rigid foam. This detailed and critical process is followed by the mold making and then the arrangement of the glass in the mold. The melting and cooling process takes place in custom-built furnaces. The last step involves a sequence of sandblasting, grinding and polishing techniques bringing the objects to life.
BEHRENS ABOUT HIS WORKS
“To me, nature is a meditative place where I can structure my thoughts and gain new energy. As a sculptor I perceive nature intensely. The sensual impressions I collect in my daily life and abroad while traveling are the key to my creativeness and form the basis of my work.
In order to provide the works with the expressiveness to reflect these impressions in all their facets, I am continuously exploring the relationship between outer shape and content. Almost in an evolutionary sense, old shapes transform and give way to a new sculptural language.
Thereby, the environmental context must be considered during the creative process, as with every sculptural object, the model and its surrounding are interrelated. But space does not only determine the impact of the work, the work rather determines the impact of the space and has the power to internalize it.”
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024 German Museum of Glass painting – Linnich, Germany
2023 Glass Museum Frauenau – Frauenau, Germany
2022 Chihuly Collection – St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
2021 Sandra Ainsley Gallery – Toronto, Canada
2019 Achilles Foundation – Hamburg, Germany
2019 Continuum Gallery – Königswinter, Germany
2018 Sikabonyi Gallery – Vienna, Austria
2017 Habatat Galleries – Royal Oak, Michigan, USA
2017 Etienne Gallery – Oisterwijk, Netherlands
2015 Sikabonyi Gallery – Vienna, Austria
2014 Etienne Gallery – Oisterwijk, Netherlands
2012 Continuum Gallery – Königswinter, Germany
2010 De Glorie Gallery – Oosterbeek, Netherlands
2010 Van Loon & Simons – Vught, Netherlands
2008 Ernsting Foundation – Coesfeld, Germany
2008 Hélène Porée Gallery – Paris, France
HONORS
2021
Scholarship form the Ministry of Culture and Science,
North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany,
Sculptural analysis of the creative power of nature –
New Series Random Shapes
2020
Scholarship form the Ministry of Culture and Science,
North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany,
Socio-critical analysis of the fundamental irreparable change
of nature by human being – Evolution Series
2018
Collector´s Award, 46th Annual International Invitational Award Exhibition,
Habatat Galleries Royal Oak, Michigan, USA
2017
Imagine Museum of Glass Award,
45th Annual International Invitational Award Exhibition,
Habatat Galleries Royal Oak, Michigan, USA
2014
Charles Shepard Fort Wayne Award,
42nd Annual International Invitational Award Exhibition,
Habatat Galleries Royal Oak, Michigan, USA
2013
Jutta Cuny-Franz Memorial Award, Selected Entries,
Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, Germany
2013
Frederic Meijer Sculpture Award,
41st Annual International Invitational Award Exhibition,
Habatat Galleries Royal Oak, Michigan, USA
2012
Collector´s Award, 40th Annual International Invitational Award Exhibition,
Habatat Galleries Royal Oak, Michigan, USA
2011
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Award,
39th Annual International Invitational Award Exhibition,
Habatat Galleries Royal Oak, Michigan, USA
2009
State Prize for Sculpture, North Rhine-Westphalia, Düsseldorf, Germany
2009
Jutta Cuny-Franz Memorial Award, Selected Entries,
Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, Germany
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Imagine Museum – St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
Seven Bridges Foundation – Greenwich, Connecticut, USA
Kunstpalast – Düsseldorf, Germany
Achilles Foundation – Hamburg, Germany
Ernsting Foundation – Coesfeld, Germany
MusVerre – Sars-Poteries, France
Novotný Museum – Nový Bor, Czech Republic
Glasmuseum Immenhausen – Immenhausen, Germany
Glasmuseum Lauscha – Lauscha, Germany
Museum of Modern Glass – Öhringen, Germany
PROJECTS AND TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2021
Scholarship from the Ministry of Culture and Science,
North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany,
Sculptural analysis of the creative power of nature –
New Series Random Shapes
2020
Scholarship form the Ministry of Culture and Science,
North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany,
Socio-critical analysis of the fundamental irreparable change
of nature by human being – Evolution Series
2013
SAP Pinnacle Award, Selected Artist,
Walldorf, Germany – Orlando Florida, USA
Since 2011
Focus on own sculptural work,
objects of the series Seaforms, Landscapes and Phoenix
Concept creation for solo exhibitions for galleries and museums
2009
Project management sculptural kiln-casting techniques, Arte Vetro,
Damascus, Syria
2008/2009
Lectureship on sculptural figures,
Technical University of Darmstadt, faculty of architecture,
Darmstadt, Germany
2004/2007
Project management abstract sculpting, model and mould making,
PUM Netherlands Senior Experts, Den Haag, The Netherlands –
Ethiopian-Reflections, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
2004
MusVerre – Ateliers, workshop glassblowing and hot glass techniques,
Nicolas Morin, Sars-Poteries, France
ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
2010 Artista Forum, Schott AG, Grünenplan, Germany
2009 TGK Glass, IGS Glass Symposium, Nový Bor, Czech Republic
2008 Artista Forum, Schott, Grünenplan, Germany
2007 Uroboros Glass Studios, Portland, Oregon, USA
2006 Artista Forum, Schott, Grünenplan, Germany
Thank you for joining us!
Thank you for celebrating the first annual
Glass Art Fair!
We are honored to that you have taken the time to join us in a celebration of art.
The artists in this exhibition are sharing their work from around the world.
Share your story with the artist