Tomas Hillebrand

Tomas Hillebrand seeks perfection. Romanticism is one of the main sources of inspiration for his work and his artistic practice. The irrational personal affectivity as well as the imagination of the fantastic are essential values in his work – a reaction to the rational society in which we live. Hillebrand links to a group of artists who show a renewed interest in the art of the 19th century which depicts the world as individual experiences or dreams. His glass sculptures, various blown domes filled with water, refer to snow globes: a beloved souvenir, a nostalgic object and also a memory of visited popular places. Hillebrand creates his own world by releasing the dome from its cliched symbol of snow and the monumental characteristics of landmarks. The unaffected nature is idealized – not by its imitation, but by trying to depict the deeper essence of the beauty of nature. Hillebrand does not show us pictorial elements in his snow domes, instead he indicates them: He visualizes its imagination by using natural elements such as water, sand or cork, outside of the constraints of place and time. Tomas Hillebrand creates imaginary, utopian worlds, that are connected with the most valuable human quality: hope. The domes almost seem to become objects of meditation like scholar rocks or traditional Japanese meditation gardens. The various associative materials used, seduce the viewer in a contemplative manner to connect with the deeper affectivity and the perception of beauty that lies in their instinctive memory. Hillebrand invites us to useour imagination and fantasy.