**Artistic freedom remains a charged and ever-relevant subject, and Kunsthalle Kohta’s First International Festival of Manuports (12 August – 10 October 2021) was a profound exploration of this theme. Through an open call for contemporary “manuports” – small, palm-sized objects drawing from the prehistoric tradition of found stones carried by early humans – the exhibition aimed to privilege artistic agency over institutional curation. The result was a diverse, unrestricted display of over 300 submissions from around the world, complemented by large-scale murals from Oscar Chan Yik Long and Pavel Mikushev.

I was fortunate to contribute to this innovative exhibition with my work Grip of Man, a glass sculpture cast using the lost wax technique. This piece embodies the tension between creation and preservation, exploring the relationship between the artist’s hand and the material. Glass, often seen as fragile and ephemeral, here takes on the solidity and permanence of an artifact, much like the ancient manuports that inspired the exhibition. The title, Grip of Man, speaks to the act of holding and shaping—both physically and metaphorically—highlighting the human impulse to collect, alter, and ascribe meaning to objects.

What made this exhibition particularly significant was its embrace of unrestricted artistic participation. By foregoing selection criteria, Kohta placed the creative decision-making entirely in the hands of artists, echoing the international spirit of past avant-garde movements such as mail art. This format allowed for an organic and unpredictable dialogue between the works, creating a space where artistic freedom was not just discussed but actively practiced.

Being part of First International Festival of Manuports was an opportunity to reflect on the primal aspects of artistic creation—touch, intuition, and the instinct to preserve meaning within objects. It was also a reminder that, despite technological advancements and shifting cultural landscapes, the human desire to leave a mark, to carry and imbue objects with significance, remains unchanged.

I am grateful for the chance to have my work displayed in this unique context and to contribute to a larger conversation about art, history, and freedom. Grip of Man found its place among artworks from across the globe, united by a shared connection to the past and a collective gesture toward the future of artistic expression.