Christmas Tree Baubles

Ten hand-blown glass ornaments fulfil an idea in the works for over a decade.

Christmas baubles hold specific appeal for Paul Insect. Eclectic objects, each with their own story – collected over time, remembered every December and then forgotten for another year come January.

Beginning as a series of sketches in the artist’s studio, Insect has worked closely with a traditional glass manufacturer in Poland to perfect each design. The ornaments are blown, painted and finished by hand – no two the same.

The designs themselves reveal the artist's sceptical take on the commercialisation of Christmas. Clichés are subverted: Santa becomes a skeleton while otherwise-cosy flames envelop a gingerbread house and riot van. Elsewhere, they are ignored entirely in favour of a fly landing on a mouldy cupcake, or a deliriously smiling sun. Two pairs of eyes and a red-lipped mouth draw connections with Insect’s use of puppetry throughout his practice to bring inanimate objects to life, with disconcerting results.

Please note that dimensions displayed on this page are an average, and actual size varies by design.