The renowned actress-turned-glasswork-artist Loretta Yang Hui-shan is telling her tale of two cities via her latest glass works.

Yang is holding two exhibitions one in Shanghai where her workshop lies and one in New York where her career as a glass artist started.

The New York exhibition entitled Intersection at the gallery Leo Kaplan Modern include the quality works of Yang, William Carlson and Steven Weinberg.

The powerful trio drew an esteemed crowd to the opening of the exhibition in March.

Tina Oldknow, curator of Modern Glass at Corning Museum said, "Yang's work sets a new height for the glass art world both in technique and creativity."

Included in Intersection are eight pieces from Yang's signature Formless series, The Flowers Are Beautiful and the Moon is Full series and Guan-Yin of Thousand Arms and Eyes.

Four of these eight pieces were sold within the first three days including one to Victor Barnett, former Chairman of luxury brand Burberry.

Barnett is an avid collector with over 60 contemporary glass works in his collection; the addition of Yang's piece marks his first Asian glass.

Finding himself drawn to her work during the opening reception, he remarked, "Yang's work explores the oriental philosophy with elegance. It is enticing, creative and classic."

Terry Davidson, director of Leo Kaplan Modern, said, "The three artists in the exhibition reflect the inclusiveness of glass art. Their pieces play off each other to create a forceful dynamic."

Yang once enrolled with the New York Experimental Glass Workshop during her startup years, in order to study the "Pate-de-Verre (lost wax casting)" technique.

She then found out that the glass-work-making technique actually originated in her home country, China, where it was called liuli (the Chinese term for "glass work").

Yang recalled that for the first time, she found herself exposed to different styles of contemporary liuli art and the versatility of the material.

At that time, Carlson and Weinberg were already well established in the contemporary glass art scene.

For Yang, they served as inspirational figures in her pursuit of glass creation. Today, to be involved in a joint exhibition with the very same artist is "more significant than a solo exhibition", Yang noted.

In the Shanghai exhibition hall located in Xintiandi, Weinberg's glass work are also on display. Both the two exhibitions are running until the end of June.

(China Daily April 18, 2007)