Artist Dale Chihuly has always been captivated by colour and light. Glass became his medium of choice ‘as it transmits light in a special way’. And then he took glass in directions many thought impossible. As Chihuly’s work scaled up and made its way outside, botanical settings became a favoured location. Chihuly has installed his monumental sculptures in public gardens since 2001, but this is the first time he has brought one of his stunning garden exhibitions to Australia. Sprawling over 50 hectares, Adelaide Botanic Garden has provided an oasis of green and tranquillity in the heart of our city for over 180 years. Hosted over seven months, Chihuly in the Botanic Garden entices audiences to glimpse our Garden through a new lens to watch how these glass sculptures transform with shifting light and as the foliage changes with the seasons. This catalogue captures Chihuly’s 24 installations located throughout the Garden’s grounds, glasshouses and lakes in glorious colour. A series of articles explore what enticed this phenomenal artist to Adelaide, his impact on our thriving local glass scene, and how Nature has shaped Chihuly’s practice and led him down a garden path.
