It is extremely rare for a New Zealand artist to be included in an exhibition at a leading international museum. Luke Jacomb has not only achieved this but has been accorded the honour of a substantial solo exhibition featuring 33 works at the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA).

Luke Jacomb is an outstanding glass artist who has been living in America since being the recipient of a Creative New Zealand grant in 2001. He works in both blown and cast glass. His pursuit for flawlessness is such that some works have been made up to 10 times before the result meets his exacting standards. He combines elements of traditional ethnic design motifs in his works and has established a singular aesthetic that transcends these sources and influences. His work is distinctive, coherent and acclaimed and his technical genius and accomplishment is such that he has been the recipient of many residencies all over America.

Luke Jacomb creates images by using an unusual glass that is photosensitive. “While images have long been etched onto glass or imposed using emulsion, in Jacomb’s work the glass itself acts as the photograph. Jacomb says that this allows him to produce images with strong depth, clarity and luminosity.” (1).

This exhibition Seeking the Light: Studio Glass by Luke Jacomb has also been claimed by the Milwaukee Museum (USA) in early 2009 and will then tour New Zealand, opening at Canterbury Museum April 2009. The exhibition features 33 works and is accompanied by a catalogue publication which includes a major catalogue essay by John W. Keefe (Curator Decorative Arts, New Orleans Museum) with colour photography of all the works by Russell Johnson from Seattle.

"Utilizing cutting-edge glass technology, time-proven techniques such as those of the Venetians, and a decorative vocabulary of ancient Maori and Polynesian motifs, Jacomb has brought a distinctive aesthetic to the studio glass movement."

1. Nick Perry, Seattle Times Eastside Bureau, 16 September, 2003.