Carnarvon-raised artist will take art made from Shark Bay seagrass to international art festival in Italy

Shark Bay and Italy might seem worlds apart, but Carnarvon-born artist Sabrina Dowling Giudici will combine the two through art when she represents Australia at Venice Glass Week.

Glassmakers from all over the world will exhibit in the lagoon city, which is renowned around the world for its artisanal glass. This year, Dowling Giudici will be the sole Australian participant.

Her work. entitled SALTWATERS will be presented at Venice Glass Week in September, and includes seagrass found in the lagoon of Venice in the Mediterranean Sea, and in the Shark Bay world heritage area in the Indian Ocean.

SALTWATERS is a tribute to Dowling Giudici’s two homelands, and she hopes her collection will reaffirm the connections that bridge the two landscapes.

“I’ve always been driven to tell stories about human place and connection to creation through my glass art and I’m thrilled to be bridging vital habitat stories between Australia and Italy,” she said.

Dowling Giudici was born in Rome and moved with her family to Carnarvon when she was a toddler, crediting the Gascoyne region as inspiration for her artwork.

“I was constantly surrounded by stunning landscapes with unique and vibrant flora, fauna and marine life . . . I draw my inspiration from where the outback reaches the sea,” she said.

The artist said families from Carnarvon, Denham, Exmouth and Gascoyne Junction had shared local knowledge and guided her through the creative journey.

Malgana elder Pat Oakley said the art “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.”

Dowling Giudici will have 14 glass art pieces curated in a solo art space on a a canal in Saint Mark’s Square.

Venice Glass Week runs from September 14-22.

To follow Dowling Giudici’s journey visit her exhibition page.