The Riedel Award is organised by the Istituto Veneto and Riedel Crystal of Austria, and aimed at young artists and designers under 30.
Now in its second year, the Riedel prize has been awarded to the Canadian artist Shay Salehi for the folllowing reasons: “Shay Salehi’s Pâte de Verre works are an original reinterpretation of glass. What distinguishes them is the fact that they do not display the classic properties of glass such as its transparency or optics, but they are able to transform it into something unconventional and unusual. At first glance one might consider her bowls to be made of another material. Moreover, the use of this technique, the concept of her works – so uncontrolled and uneven – the way she fuses the glass into pure and simple forms, all this is definitely noteworthy,” said Georg J. Riedel, chairman of Riedel Crystal.
The prize giving ceremony for the Glass in Venice Prize and for the Riedel Award will take place at the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti on 15 September.
The works of award-winning artists will be exhibited in the atrium of the Palazzo Loredan, Istituto Veneto, from September 15 to October 13, Monday to Friday from 10.00 to 18.00. Admission is free.