Frederick Kahl—widely known as The Great Fredini—is an artist, performer, and creative technologist whose work merges magic, spectacle, and inquiry. From sword swallowing on the stages of Coney Island to creating Emmy-winning interactive media and sculpting luminous cast-glass artworks, his career is a lifelong pursuit of curiosity, wonder, and transformation. Through handmade illusions, 3D-printed portraits, or glowing glass installations, Kahl invites audiences to question what is real and to see the world with renewed perception.

Fred is a former TED Resident and has served as an artist in residence at the Corning Museum of Glass, Tacoma Museum of Glass, and Penland School of Craft. He is a graduate of New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program and the former Executive Creative Director of the New York–based interactive design studio Funny Garbage. He currently teaches in the School of Visual Arts MFA Design Program, and has also taught at the Corning Museum of Glass, Pilchuck Glass School, and NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program.

Kahl’s practice often weaves together ancient ideas—such as sacred geometry and yogic philosophy—with cutting-edge tools including CNC fabrication, 3D scanning, and custom software. His recent work centers on large-scale centrifugally cast glass forms illuminated from within, turning glass and light into meditative, contemplative experiences. Now based in Saugerties, NY, Kahl is building a new studio to realize even more ambitious visions—and to continue pursuing what he calls “real magic”: the sense of awe, connection, and possibility that shimmers just beyond the visible.

Artist Resume: click here