Emma Varga

Emma Varga (Yugoslavian, born 1952), Ruby Red Sky #2, 2008, fused, cast, and cold-worked glass. Gift of David Kaplan and Glenn Ostergaard, 2019.178.

Emma Varga studied at the Applied Arts University in Belgrade and worked in a glass factory for twenty years before settling in Sydney, Australia in 1995 following political unrest in her homeland (former Yugoslavia). The magnificent presence of striking colors found in nature and the landscape, such as the view of a sunset over the horizon with its vibrant reds, prompted Varga to choose Australia for her home and provided her with a continuing source of inspiration.

She has perfected a new method of fusing and casting multiple layers of glass in an “aquarelle” technique, using thin glass sheets, some of which are composed of tiny elements formed in mosaic-like patterns. Varga’s “multiple layers fusing” technique enables her to create three-dimensional images enclosed within transparent glass sculptures. The process begins with the cutting of thousands of glass elements from clear and colored glass sheets according to complex 3-D plans. These are then fused together in stages before they are ground and polished to reveal the finished sculpture with its fine details and veil-like structures floating in pure clear glass.