Last September, glassmakers from around the world gathered at Venice Glass Week, a renowned international event celebrating artisanal glass. Italian-Australian artist Sabrina Dowling Giudici was the sole Australian participant, marking her debut at this prestigious event.

The Shark Bay World Heritage Site and the lagoons of Venice may seem worlds apart, but artist Sabrina Dowling Giudici highlights connections between these two remarkable regions in her latest glass art collection Saltwaters.

“I’ve always been driven to tell stories about humanity’s place and connection to creation through my glass art, and I was thrilled to be bridging vital habitat stories between Australia and Italy in Saltwaters at the Venice Glass Week,” says Sabrina. “This series of glass objects celebrates seagrasses as the unsung heroes of the sea and focuses on the seagrasses found in both the lagoon of Venice in the Mediterranean Sea of the Northern Hemisphere, and the Shark Bay world heritage area of Western Australia in the Indian Ocean of the Southern Hemisphere. This glass art series aims to bring together the seagrasses of these two fundamentally different geographical, ecological and cultural places, thus bridging the two worlds through the narratives of the glass objects.” 

Dowling Giudici was born in Rome, Italy, and moved with her family to Carnarvon (Gwoonwardu) in regional Western Australia when she was a toddler. She credits growing up in the multicultural and picturesque Gascoyne Region as the inspiration for her artwork stories. 

“I was constantly surrounded by stunning landscapes with unique and vibrant flora, fauna and marine life, which in turn has inspired and shaped how I see the world and how I have pursued my creative endeavours. I draw my inspiration from where the outback reaches the sea, particularly from the Gascoyne Region, which is a region of globally significant natural heritage.” 

“Over the decades, local families from Carnarvon, Denham, Exmouth and Gascoyne Junction have graciously shared their knowledge and passion with me, guiding me through my creative journey and storytelling.” 

Malgana Woman and Elder, Auntie Pat Oakley was thrilled to see Sabrina showcase the Shark Bay World Heritage site in her works for Venice Glass Week, and to share this unique West Australian landscape with an international audience. 

“I am extremely excited to endorse Sabrina’s art and incredible exhibition, Saltwaters. It speaks to my heart and spirit as a Malgana Gantharri [Elder] because it highlights a vital element in the struggle to preserve our rich and unique environment of Wirriya Jalyanu [Seagrass], which possesses an incredible ability to mitigate climate change,” says Oakley

Dowling Giudici’s unique approach to her artwork includes working closely with scientists. “The dualism between art and science is unnatural to me as I was traditionally raised as a central Italian with an artisanal family culture. Visually and tactilely expressing natural sciences in 3D is an instinctive practice and delving into the flora and fauna of the Gascoyne’s marine, river and wetland habitats is the basis of the nexus between my art and related science research.” 

“My transcultural creative practice centres on how artisanal crafts can blend with science and cultural understandings as a vehicle for advocating social improvements. It’s my desire through initiatives like Saltwaters to influence a better care of the place and people linked to Shark Bay. Through my creative work with kiln-formed glass, I consistently seek ways to increase the value of my contribution toward healing and regrowth, and I believe when old wisdom and contemporary understandings are shared together, new and useful meanings can emerge and influence better decisions.” 

Dowling Giudici, who lives between Perth and Carnarvon, created 14 glass art pieces for Saltwaters. Former AGWA Director, Dr Stefano Carboni, curated the collection for exhibition in a solo art space on a canal in the Castello district, which is behind Piazza San Marco and near the Australian Biennale Pavilion. 

Prior to her works as a glass artist, Sabrina founded Aartworks with her husband, Tony Dowling, an organisation that facilitates connections between artists and cultural networks, processes and institutions. Through Aartworks, she has worked closely with artists Anton Blume and Bonni Ingram. 

The Perth-based artist has had a busy 2024 with her work at Aartworks and her presentation at Venice Glass Week. She also participated in Glass in Isolation at Mossenson Galleries in Subiaco, Western Australia, and was recently awarded First Place at the 2024 Gascoyne Art Awards for her piece Blowholes Dreaming.

For more information about Aartworks visit https://www.aartworks.org and follow Sabrina’s story on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/sabrina_dowling_giudici/

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