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Media - Sculpture
Email - [email protected]
Website - http://www.sallieportnoyglass.com.au
Much of Portnoy's imagery is based in mythology and inspired by mystical stories
and abstract thought. The figure in her glass pieces has been used as a universal symbol of
the vessel, the soul, and is a symbiosis of the female form and the artistic investigation of
positive and negative space. Where once Portnoy was predominantly a vessel maker, (both glass
and ceramic) her work since 1995 has become sculptural, narrative and abstracted. The figures
speak with light, movement and simple sensuality. They are about female empowerment and
empowerment of humankind at large.
Like the Sword in the Stone, the sword-like figures are plunged into their bases - grounded
and earthbound, while their elegant forms reach up to the heavens - to a higher ground. The
pieces are at once both male and female; at 'base' extremely sexual and reflective of the
basic nature of mankind. Pulling the sword out of the stone, in terms of sexual symbolism, can
be interpreted as freeing the male conscious ego (the phallus) from the state of being mother
bound. The figures speak of the conflict between opposing forces within us, between archaic
impulses and new aspirations.
In Portnoy's most recent exhibition" Metamorfishes," (Manly Regional Gallery &
Museum, Sydney, Aug 2002) we see the beginnings of a transformation. Portnoy is redefining the
line while abstracting the form. Fish are emerging from some of the se forms, often tongue in
cheek, as she makes fun of the process of change and transformation. As symbols themselves are
products of emotion and intuition, so fish can be symbolic of the world of symbols, in
contrast with a purely materialistic earthbound approach to life. Fish are the treasures from
the waters, which in general symbolise the psyche in contrast with the body: the unconscious
rather than the ordinary conscious.
In" Metamorphosis 1 and 2 " the forms are no longer figures or fish but capture the
movement and sensuality of both. There is a metamorphosis going on within Portnoy's work which
is clearly captured in these pieces. From the heavy rounded bases the forms emerge, slightly
undefined and robust, to redefine themselves into fine lines and sharp edges as they lift
upwards to let in the light.
As much as Portnoy's work is narrative and a study of form, it is also very much an
exploration of light. The glass plays with the light as it changes from thick to thin, as it
absorbs and reflects the light, and as different colours mix when they are melted together.
Portnoy gives the glass body language and uses forms to reflect this, which is why most
pieces can stand alone or in communication with one another. And although these forms are
undergoing a transformation, Portnoy continues to tap into the universal language that binds
us all through her use of material, form, light, and colour.
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