Elisabeth de Brabant Contemporary
Marly Stefens creates glassworks as unique compositions crafted from recuperated Murano glass. Her creative process, which involves deconstructing and reimagining glass entities, unfolds within the walls of a historic glass-making atelier.
Over the years, Marly has forged close ties with Venetian glass artisans, granting her access to a hidden world of vintage materials. These materials, shaped by ancient techniques and a profound understanding of the chemistry of glass, are now given a new life in her creations. Their original purposes—whether as chandeliers, pendants, bowls, urns, plates, lamps, mirrors, or vases—become secondary to their intrinsic beauty, which Marly celebrates in innovative forms.
In 2021, Marly participated in The Venice Glass Week, presenting her one-of-a-kind pieces in a private exhibition in Venice.
In 2024, Elisabeth de Brabant Contemporary, a private contemporary art space in partnership with the non-profit humanitarian organization Women without Borders, invited Marly to develop a collection of glassworks for the private bar of the Galleria dei Gondolieri in Venice.
In The Oyster Alcove, French sculptor Adrien Lagrange unveils Venus in Leo, a new site-specific intervention. Known for large-scale metal works, Lagrange, in contrast, turns to fragile, charged forms that hover between marine traces and technological sensorial, revealing the entanglement between matter, memory, and temperature.
A live acoustic intervention introduced crystal resonance into the space, where glass revealed light and scent rendered the air perceptible as matter. Entering the suspended passage created by Léa Dumayet, invited artist Lidiya Kolodina activated the installation through the sound of a rare glass harmonica, crafted with a specialised glass formula designed to produce a stable and crystalline tone.
As vibrations moved through the metastable forms, the atmosphere, and the body itself, the work shifted into a temporary state of resonance — bringing pulse, tension, and movement into the exhibition for 25 minutes.
For the performance, Lidiya Kolodina wore Castanea sativa, a sculptural armor by Andrea Bordács from the Armours of Belonging series. The armor was inspired by the chestnut shell, which protects something fragile with its spiny surface. The work reflected Bordács’s ongoing interest in forms of protection rooted not in defense, but in care, resistance, and preservation. As the sound of the glass harmonica resonated throughout the space, the armor became an integral part of the performance atmosphere, creating a subtle dialogue between body, fabric, and acoustic vibration.
The performance unfolded within CILIA and EXUVIAE, offering visitors the opportunity to experience the exhibitions through a subtle sonic environment where sound, material, scent, and movement continuously interacted.
