Red Red Sky Burning #1 2004 cast and fused glass

Cultural background:    My ancestry is Mid-European  (Hungarian / Serbian / Yugoslav)

Place of origin:     
Ada, Northern Yugoslavia

Start of migration journey:   
Belgrade, Yugoslavia - 30th July 1995

Place of arrival in Australia:  
Sydney, NSW - 31st July 1995

First home in Australia:   
Dee Why, NSW

Initial employment in Australia: I have been a freelance glass artist, since arriving here in 1995

Any glass related objects that you brought with you? And still have?: I brought eight sculptural objects from my 'Memories' series 1991-95) and six individual objects representing my work from 1979-1991

Emma's story

I was born in Northern Yugoslavia; my father is Hungarian and my mother Serbian.

In 1975 I graduated in Ceramic Sculpture and Glass Design from the University of Applied Arts in Belgrade; it was a five year very intensive course.  After I completed my studies at the age of twenty three I was offered a job as a designer in the Serbian Glass Factory.  I refused the position, which was a smart decision because it meant I could keep my freedom.  In this way I was able to work as a freelance designer offering my projects, which meant they took what they wanted and I could execute my own artwork and design series.  I lived 200 kilometres away in Belgrade and drove down one week a month to produce the glass using a crew from the factory's highly skilled glass workers.  This proved to be very successful and it was then I started to collaborate with Sebastian Gallery in Dubrovnik producing work for them.

When the war broke out in Yugoslavia, I was caught completely unaware as I had been totally focused on my artwork.  I got into trouble when I was accused of working with a Croatian Sebastian Gallery, and almost killed in the factory in 1991. I hid my children with my parents and lived in Belgrade in fear for a while; this was the only time in my life I kept my mouth shut, I had to become "invisible".  After three years of war, I started to consider leaving. 

Australia was my choice; I could have gone to Germany with the contacts I already had or New York as I have a sister there.  When Australia was mentioned, at first I thought it was too far.  I came over for one month in Christmas 1994 to have a look around.  I instantly fell in love with this country even from the air, the sky was blue and there were special cloud formations, which you can see in some of my work.  I felt like I was in heaven, one hour later we flew over Ayers Rock at the beginning of sunset from above, it was so beautiful with the purple and red that I was taken.  Two hours later I saw the Opera House and Harbour Bridge and I said this is where I want to live, even before touching the ground.  It was such a contrast to the war that I had just left.  The sunshine, peaceful, beautiful, relaxed people and the level of sophistication and culture impressed me.

I had taken back some books about Australia to prepare my two sons who were nine and eleven. In 1995 I migrated to Australia with my family; the boys were completely open hearted, which was my attitude.  I have since worked as a freelance artist also designing and making my glass objects for galleries and glass design series for outlets such as Empire Homewares.

In 2004 I established a project called 'Something Different - Creative Laboratory' to bring together Australian and overseas established glass artists. I worked for twelve months in preparation; works created during the project were exhibited at Quadrivium Gallery in Sydney.  Also at that time I was asked to select ten artists to showcase a cross section of Australian Glass at the Glass Pyramid Gallery, Budapest.

I have had many exhibitions both locally and internationally and a long association with Axia Modern Art Gallery in Melbourne and Object Galleries in Sydney since 1995, I also exhibit my work through Sabbia Gallery in Sydney.  Recently I had five pieces acquired by the Palm Springs Art Museum in the United States of America(USA) from the 'Masters 2007' exhibition at Sabbia. 

Last year I had a retrospective solo exhibition at the Museum of Applied Art in Belgrade that was opened by the Australian Ambassador, I was introduced as an Australian artist to the audience in my country of origin. The piece that has been acquired by Wagga Wagga Art Gallery is part of a series called 'Story about red'. This particular piece 'Red Red Sky Burning' is dedicated to the Canberra bushfires in 2003, which completely horrified me.  It was the first time I felt like I did during the war, like I had people there who might die and I could not do anything to help them.  For me this is a very important piece to go into the National Glass Collection.