Karola Dischinger – The mystical Seven

Photo : Books with seven seals, 2020 – 20x15x3 cm/each © T. Dischinger

22/05 > 01/11/26

Born in Germany in 1960, Karola Dischinger is a contemporary glass artist whose work has, for over twenty-five years, explored human relationships and social structures through the medium of glass. Trained in glass techniques in Germany in the 1990s, she quickly developed a personal approach that goes beyond mere mastery of the material to transform it into a true visual language, at the crossroads of sculpture and installation.

Her practice draws on a wide range of techniques—cast glass, glass paste, kiln-working, and glass printing—which she employs with precision to examine relational dynamics, the world of work, and contemporary modes of organisation. Glass, with its qualities of transparency, fragility and resilience, enables her to make visible complex realities that are often invisible or difficult to grasp.
At the turn of the 2010s, she developed a series of works centred on the concepts of connection, interdependence and communication. These bodies of work, built around simple, easily recognisable forms, convey social mechanisms that are at times abstract. She introduces a symbolic dimension and a subtle sense of humour, which enrich the interpretation of her pieces.
Since the 2020s, her work has shifted towards larger-scale installations, engaging with space in a more immersive way and occasionally incorporating graphic or textual elements. This evolution enhances the viewer’s experience and situates her works within contemporary issues.
Her creations are regularly featured in international exhibitions dedicated to contemporary glass art. She also takes part in artist residencies and collaborative projects that inform her research.
Through her work, Karola Dischinger offers a sensitive reflection on how we exist in the world and forge connections, thereby helping to renew the possibilities of glass as a medium in contemporary art.
 
In the exhibition at the Glass Museum, she explores in particular the symbolism of the number 7, which is present in many ancient as well as contemporary cultures. Her works thus, in a sense, examine the foundations of our shared humanity. The number 7 runs through a vast array of civilisations, beliefs and traditions. It is found in religious texts as well as in mythology, science, the rhythms of time and even in our collective imagination. Associated in turn with balance, cycles, knowledge and spirituality, it has for centuries been a profoundly universal symbol. Through this theme, Karola Dischinger ultimately invites us to reflect on what, despite our cultural and social differences, continues to connect human beings.