Bio
Justine McLaren is an Australian interdisciplinary artist based in Geneva, Switzerland. She is a graduate of the Australian National University School of Art and Design (Sculpture) and after finishing her degree studied textile and plant fibre weaving in Laos and Vanuatu. A life-time plant lover and gardener, Justine was exploring the integration of living plants into her work when she started experimenting with glass at Canberra Glassworks in 2018. In 2020 she exhibited her first solo show of flameworked glass and for that work was chosen as a finalist in the Blake Art Prize, at Casula Powerhouse in Sydney.
In February 2022 her work featured alongside fellow Verarte (Swiss Glass Forum) members at the UN’s opening Conference for the International Year of Glass (IYOG2022) at the Palais des Nations and Hotel Intercontinental in Geneva.
Justine now practices in her home studio and continues to build her flameworking skills at Cerfav, France, and with assistance from Sonja Bischofberger in Fribourg, Switzerland.
Justine has worked in both the horticultural and cultural sectors, including with the Australian National Arboretum in Canberra and Canberra Glassworks.
Her work has been exhibited in Australia, Scotland, Laos, and Switzerland. It was recently featured in the group show Biophilia, at Poimena Art Gallery in Launceston, Tasmania and will be featured this October at the Wettsteinhäuschen in Basel, Switzerland, in the group show Potash.
