Ceramic Brussels // Art fair

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The exhibition title, ‘Abstract Human Pots’, refers to the vase as an abstract representation of the human form. Terms such as ‘foot’, ‘neck’ or ‘lip’ are widely used to describe the individual elements in the structure of the vase.

Michael has long pursued a passion for ceramic history in his work, taking a special interest in the vase as an archetype that reflects the field’s historical development. Originally an object for storage, it was gradually refined into a decorative object as a parallel to its utilitarian function. The vase is a status symbol that demonstrates a culture’s finest craftsmanship and artistic abilities.

The vase is a recurring figure in Western art history, from Greek to Roman antiquity and again from the Renaissance to neoclassicism. In ancient Greece, the prize at the Olympic Games was ceramic vases containing olive oil and decorated with sports-themed images. 

Parallel to European vase history, the vase also holds great cultural significance in Asia, where especially the magnificent Chinese vases were of the highest artistic and technical quality. The lavish Chinese vases were wheel-thrown in porcelain and high-fired, and the finest pieces were presented as gifts to the emperor. 

A common aspect of European and Asian culture is the humanization of the vase and a search for sublime form. 

Michael’s new series of magnificent vases draws on this history. It contains references to the (celadon) glazes and (openwork) decoration techniques of the Chinese vases as well as traces of the classicist expression. The status of the vase as an abstraction of the human form is underscored by Michael’s use of handles from his personal ceramic vocabulary.

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Karen Lise Krabbe’s exhibition UNDER introduces us to a fascinating universe of materials, sea, marine life and exploration.

A brief – and inaccurate – description of Karen Lise Krabbe’s work would be the story of an experimental craft maker who is fascinated with glass as a material. She takes a scientist’s approach to her work and explorations but never reaches the end of her studies, as one experiment leads to the next: her motivation springs from the process, not the result. Another, more apt, version would be the story of a seeking artist who remains ever fascinated by the world around her. An artist who is continually driven by the possibilities afforded by her material. Although her method is scientific, the result is art. Not the world’s greatest in scope or volume but imbued with a moving quality of poetry and sensitivity. 

The prevailing theme of Karen Lise’s work seems to be the sea and the creatures that inhabit it. We sense botanical references to seashells, seaweed, underwater creatures, sand and so forth. In addition to her craft practice, she is the author of several books, especially on seaweed along the Danish coasts, including its life cycles and habitats, where it can be harvested and which species are good for eating.

After experimenting with glass for decades, developing methods for 3D casting in sand, experimenting with growing bio-cellulose on glass and conducting countless other studies, Karen Lise Krabbe has now developed a new material, gelled glass, which is right at the intersection of her interest in marine plant life and her practice as a glass artist. She uses alginate extracted from brown algae as the binding agent in glass. When exposed to a special saline solution, the mixture gels, resulting in a glass substance with similar properties to textile. In its cold state, this new material can be knitted, woven and folded. The method is a further development of the ancient technique of pâte de verre (glass paste), and the gelled glass powder offers completely novel ways of working with glass.

Karen Lise Krabbe’s art is a form of personal storytelling about the wonders of the world and her observations of them. Rooted in ancient glass traditions, it also constructs its own new and diverse world.

The exhibition UNDER presents Karen Lise Krabbe’s first comprehensive presentation of her experiments with and studies of gelled glass. The reference to the characteristics and life of the diverse plants and creatures in the sea is obvious but not necessarily deliberate. Karen Lise Krabbe’s art is a form of personal storytelling about the wonders of the world and her observations of them. Rooted in ancient glass traditions, it also constructs its own new and diverse world.
With her in-depth exploration of the material and unorthodox working methods, Karen Lise Krabbe has created a brand new material, which holds great artistic potential.

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ALL WORKS : ARTSY

Morten insists on finding beauty in the commonplace. Stones – ordinary stones – are his primary source of inspiration. For the past two years, he has been holding on to a truly dull rock that he keeps returning to in an attempt to decode and uncover its secrets. For a glassblower, Morten has a paradoxical urge to eschew the conventional qualities of glass. He is more interested in ancient Roman glass with glass disease than in the exquisite Venetian techniques that he also masters.

Morten Klitgaard is an eminent representative of a group of younger craft makers who take an explorative approach in their practice and who engage with nature and the properties and origins of materials as their primary field of study. They are a generation who have always had every technical possibility and every manmade material at their disposal. They grew up in a laminated hell, protected from nature, swaddled in Gore-Tex and eating highly processed food out of plastic bowls. Now, they are reacting with a completely new aesthetic and a fascination with things ‘natural’, ideally as ‘untouched’ as possible, which is of course a paradoxical quest for a maker or designer.

‘Scoria’ presents three work series: ARAGONIT, ERA and HEPTIC, different in form but all coarsely textured. Each group is placed in a wooden structure reminiscent of classic display cases. Within this three-dimensional structure, the glass objects are staged as precious works of art but without the traditional protective glass panes. The presentation also references the cabinets of curiosities showcasing strange animals, plants and artefacts in historical royal collections. Thus, the exhibition display offers ironic commentary on our dealings with nature as something exotic, rare and mysterious.

‘The beauty of dirt’ or ‘How to counteract the intrinsic beauty of glass’ seem like potential thematic titles of Klitgaard’s latest works of art. With this exhibition, he indulges his fascination with the raw and unspoiled. With profound professional and technical mastery, he has chosen an artistic stance that renews contemporary glass and makes it relevant today.

ARTIST STATEMENT:

I wish to share the unique qualities and characteristics of the physical locations that inspire me. Incorporating natural elements in my work lets me convey textures, colours and stories from the landscapes I explore. Every object I create is a celebration of the environment around me and an invitation to others to pause and appreciate the beauty of their surroundings. Through my engagement with the glass and its textures, I have learned to appreciate tiny details and finding cause for wonder in everyday life.

BIOGRAPHIC DETAILS:

Morten Klitgaard was born in Lønstrup, Denmark in 1981. Growing up in the harsh climate of coastal Northern Denmark had a huge impact on his senses. Being surrounded by rugged wild nature and a consistent westerly wind taught him to appreciate tiny details in the barren landscape. He began to work for glass artist Leif Vange in the town where he grew up in. Following that, he apprenticed for three years with Danish glass artist Tobias Møhl, who is known worldwide for his use of Venetian techniques. During this period, he also took a master class with Dante Marioni. Keen to learn more about the material, he enrolled in the Danish Design School’s (now the Royal Danish Academy) programme on Bornholm, where he earned his BA in 2012.

Morten Klitgaard’s work explores notions of place and reflects on the influential effects of nature on both the landscape and its inhabitants. His works appear weather-beaten, patinated by the rugged Danish coastal landscape where he grew up. Oxides, metal pigments and ash are applied during the final heating process, causing the surface of the glass to effervesce and develop intricate textures and patterns. His art challenges our notions of the material whilst successfully honouring the traditions of glass blowing and pushing the boundaries of contemporary craft and design. 

Morten Klitgaard is represented in the following collections: Victoria and Albert Museum (UK), Collection Embrechts Ryckaert (B), the New Carlsberg Foundation (DK), the Danish Arts Foundation (DK), Glasmuseet Ebeltoft (DK), Bornholms Kunstmuseum (DK) and the Hempel Glass Museum (DK).

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The exhibition Liquid Velvet, Cosmic Dust – Perceptions of Landscape by Elly Glossop is a manifestation of contrasts and questions. The 21 works of art share a simple colour scale ranging from white to black with tiny specks of copper, brown from the wood-fired kiln and a touch of blue. There are traces of recognizable forms, such as bowls and dishes, but beyond that, the pieces eschew any sense of the ordinary. ‘What sort of technique was used here?’ ‘What sort of material?’ ‘Is it made or found?’ The objects suggest familiar forms, such as shells, sediments, traces on the sea floor and lines in the landscape. Everyone will have their own personal interpretation.

The objects are made with the use of simple moulds through a process of removing, rather than adding, material. In this exhibition, five different moulds form the basis of the varied expressions. The mould keeps the piece in place during the process, allowing the artist’s technique and the impact of time to give rise to variations. In describing this process, Elly says, ‘I often play with visual rhythms and explore the connection between gesture and fluidity, with each layer collapsing natural attrition into minutes rather than centuries.’

Throughout, her works are characterized by contrasts: nature/culture, fluid/frozen, soft/hard and, on a more abstract level, interior/exterior, real/imagined, hidden/revealed, strength/fragility, landscape/mindscape.

This exploration of contrasts is both a physical and tangible aspect and a mind game, as life’s paradoxical opposites come together in an artistic manifestation, and the meaning of a piece shifts from the personal to the universal. The works are not a look into Elly’s mind. They are the statements of an artist observing natural phenomena and then interpreting and processing them in her artistic practice. The result is moving in the basic sense of the word – the objects move us by pointing to nature as our collective memory and heritage.

Maybe that is the true impact of the exhibition: cultivating universal natural phenomena so that they spark personal memories of places and experiences, sensory impressions and feelings and thus render universal experiences personal.

Bettina Køppe // Bornholm 2023

See all works here:  ARTSY

ARTIST STATEMENT:

Blurring the boundaries between perceptions of the psyche (memory/dream/imagination), my work explores the sublime and almost ethereal qualities of clay through which a universe materializes, based on formations found throughout the natural world. By simulating and recreating these textural elements imprinted in my subconscious, they manifest into otherworldly forms and artefacts. Bodies of work are constructed around a particular theme or technique of making and are often inspired by geological formations or phenomena. Foremost, these forms are a visual exploration of time and the temporal nature of existence. Using the fluidity of porcelain slip in a range of states, I am able to explore the relationships between surface and substance and between what is real and what is imagined in a series of dream-like scapes of textures and compositions. Working intuitively with the serendipitous nature of the material, I reinvent traditional techniques of making, which form a distinctive and unique material language. My practice is currently studio-based, acting as a laboratory where I experiment and push my practice forward.

BIO:

Elly Glossop is a Scottish-born, Australian-raised artist who lives and works in Copenhagen. After completing a BA at the Royal Danish Academy, on Bornholm, Elly received an MA from the Royal College of Art in London in 2020. During her studies, she was awarded several prizes, including a scholarship from the prestigious Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST), which allowed her to take an external plaster mould-making course with Ed Bently in Stoke on Trent. In 2020, Elly was an artist in residence at Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center, where she focused on wood-firing. Elly has exhibited widely in Denmark, London, New York and Taiwan and has received several awards, including the RJ Washington Prize (London) and the Franz Rising Award (Taiwan, Second Prize). She was also a finalist in the Officine Saffi Award in Italy in 2021. Elly’s work is held in several prestigious collections, and in 2023, with a presentation at Køppe Contemporary Objects, she will be her first solo exhibition in Denmark, where she lives and works.

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The project and the establishment of the New Nordic Porcelain Forum sprang from a shared desire to promote the production of and cooperation around Nordic contemporary ceramics. Despite the dismantling of the porcelain industry, the Nordic region has an innovative and vital environment of ceramic artists.

The goal of the project was to prepare a common presentation of contemporary porcelain by Nordic artists. A collection of artistic statements that reflect on the artistic potential, historic meaning and functional possibilities of porcelain.

The exhibition 'AfterGlow - New Nordic Porcelain - REMIX' is a small version of the large exhibition that has been shown at Kunsthall Grenland, Porsgrunn, Norway, Clay - Keramikmuseum Danmark and Gustavsberg Porcelain Museum in Stockholm.

Quotes from 'Post-Factory Ceramics' by André Gail.

'Since the beginning of this millennium, many ceramics, textile and glassware factories in Europe and the United States have closed down, downsized or offshored to low-cost countries.(...) The same has been happening throughout the Nordic countries as a consequence of general social developments and the emergence of so-called post-industrial society.(...) In parallel with the phasing out of industrial (art) production, new initiatives have emerged in which artists explore the history of ceramics and its role in modern industry and design.

One of the pioneers in this effort is Neil Brownsword, who throughout his career, from the 1990s on, has explored the dismantling of British ceramics(...). He has examined the connection between globalisation, site and traditional skills in the field of crafts, in part by activating closed factories and reviving material knowledge at risk of being lost. He has also initiated collective projects that reach across cultures and disciplines and inspired colleagues all over the world to reflect on the role and possibilities of ceramics in extension of the fact I mentioned above: that factories all over Europe are closing, downsizing or outsourcing production to low-cost countries.

Many ceramics and porcelain factories thus remain as ghost-like post-industrial ruins from a golden age associated with the European aristocracy, the colonial era, modernity, commerce, progress and prosperity. As a material, porcelain seems to carry an aura of the perfect combination of art and factory, handmade and mass-produced, man and machine. Ceramics has a long history in China, Japan and Mesopotamia, it is associated with the emergence of some of the world’s oldest settled cultures (...) Since porcelain – white gold – was imported to and industrialised in Europe during the 18th century, it thus played a key role in shaping modern society.(...)

Now that craft has established itself as an independent art form, it is interesting to see ceramic artists return to applied art in order to utilise the possibilities it offers for developing a unique expression.

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This is the first exhibition in the gallery’s series on materials and nature, nature’s materials and nature as inspiration.

The exhibition ‘Reconstructed Landscapes’ by Anett Biliczki is both a concrete reconstruction of (industrial) landscapes and encapsulated memories from a nomadic existence that has brought her from Hungary to Bornholm, Germany and now, Copenhagen. In three series of works, she captures recollections of landscapes and nature’s details. Under titles such as ‘Last Winter’ and ‘Dueodde’, her glass objects reconstruct condensed stories with a universal human appeal.

Anett uses the full range of glass techniques, including blown glass, fusing and pate de verre. She sandblasts her moulds, sprinkles them with powdered glass and fires the objects in an electric kiln. She often combines multiple techniques in a single object, with surprising results. This complex process stands in contrast to the apparent simplicity of the finished pieces, which are often white with suggestions of snow and sand. 

Anett’s pieces contain a discourse about the environmental impact of glass production while her topics are often inspired by nature. Expressively, the pieces balance between industrial decay and a fascination with nature. She seeks to represent the inherent paradox of the beauty of glass in light of the heavy environmental footprint from historical large-scale glass manufacturing.

One of the series in the exhibition refers specifically to former production halls from the glass industry in Zwiesel Germany, an area where glass manufacturing has had severe environmental consequences. During a long stay there, she collected silicone imprints of the walls of abandoned factory halls and translated these gritty, abstract imprints into the moulds that the pieces were cast or blown in.

A series of wall-mounted glass reliefs shows nature impressions expressed in glass: snow on the beach, sand blown by the wind, tiny vibrations in surfaces. Frozen poetic moments of the movements of wind, snow and sand.

All works at the Exhibition. Look here at ARTSY.  
Photo: Ida Buss

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5. November - 17 December 2022 

Artists:
Malene Kyed, Hans Munck Andersen, Maj-Britt Zelmer, Gerd Hiort Petersen, Morten Klitgaard, Michael Geertsen, Kumiko Asti, Christina Schou Christensen, Anne Mette Hjortshøj, Ann-Charlotte Ohlsson and Anett Biliczki.

This exhibition explores layers of inspiration from a single, clearly defined area, the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. The island’s long history, location and geology play a significant role for the artists who work here. Bornholm’s long cultural history has developed in exchange with the rest of the Nordic region and Europe and has left early traces, for example in the form of petroglyphs and large finds of gold foil figurines, the so-called guldgubber. The island’s geology is present in the magnificent landscapes that for centuries have been a favoured topic for Danish painters. The rocks, sea and dramatic sceneries are testimony to an unusual underground that is also the source of the island’s central role in Danish ceramics. Bornholm possesses all the raw materials for the production of ceramics, including, as the only place in Denmark, kaolin, which is an essential element in porcelain. Throughout history, the island’s cultural production, geology and location have been directly and closely interlinked. Today, Bornholm is once again set to play a key geopolitical role as the world’s first Energy Island. Due to its central location as a hub in relation to Denmark, Poland, Germany and Sweden, the island is going to serve as a giant power outlet, converting and distributing energy from the surrounding offshore wind parks.

The exhibition presents eleven artists’ poetic interpretations of Bornholm’s nature and culture. Some objects have very direct connections to the site, as they are made of local raw materials. Others draw inspiration from nature and some from historical techniques or finds of early cultural artefacts. The exhibition’s underlying general premise and claim are that Bornholm is present in all the objects through their particular material approach and processing. All the exhibits are contemporary abstract pieces, in which material and decoration are closely connected, like algae on rocks. Another common feature is a focus on traditional techniques combined with a contemporary twist that points to the future. The artistic interpretation of nature, the use of local raw materials and the study of cultural history are contributions to the debate about a sustainable future, which is why craft is currently moving to the forefront with renewed relevance.

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20 August - 22 October 2022 

‘From Decon to Deco’ is an exhibition about the staging of objects. Featuring pieces from 20 years of work ­– ranging from abstract deconstructive compositions to reinterpretations of Danish art nouveau, so-called Skønvirke – a series of ceramic tableaux explores the relationship between space, framing and artwork.

The exhibition includes early abstract works by Michael Geertsen as well as recent pieces from the exhibition ‘Geertsen vs. Hjorth’ with Skønvirke ornamentation complemented by ‘standing’ objects from around 2010 and two grey splendor vases from 2015. Further, the presentation features recent pieces with a classicist approach combined with a contemporary element in the form of a certain disharmony, complexity and ornamentation. This display is tied together by fields of colour that all the objects relate to, across time and genre.

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Enter Art Fair 2022 - August 25th - 28th

Artist represented: Bodil Manz, Gunhild Aaberg, Malene Müllertz, Beate Andersen, Bente Hansen, Morten Klitgaard, Per-Rene' Larsen, Bente Skjøttgaard & Michael Geertsen.

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The exhibition group comprises some of the leading exponents of Danish studio pottery. For the past 50 years, they have set the bar for ceramic art. Based on the vessel form, they work with decoration, perforation, the interplay of colour and form and the possibilities afforded by the material through the application of a wide range of techniques. Across the diversity of artistic expression, they share the approach of working WITH the material and exploring its artistic possibilities. In this lifelong love affair with clay –with occasional detours into plaster or paper – they are driven by a passion for ceramic art. With continued curiosity about the inherent possibilities of the next vessel and the next ornament, they create contemporary and forward-looking works.

In the Bornholm exhibition, the group presents new work series. In a separate showing, the gallery presents a small memorial exhibition of works by Steen Lykke Madsen.

‘Keramiske Veje’: Beate Andersen, Bente Hansen, Bodil Manz, Malene Müllertz and Gunhild Aaberg.

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Through ten individual pieces, the exhibition presents a tour of twenty years’ artistic practice with glaze as its pivotal focus. Few artists have followed a similarly consistent path, persistently exploring a single challenge in spite of changing trends and developments. As in other grand narratives, the source is inexhaustible, and the results are rich and diverse. This exhibition demonstrates that despite variations in expression, style and references, the core of the oeuvre remains unchanged. Bente Skjøttgaard is a pioneer in the contemporary fascination with dramatic glaze effects.

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During the exhibition ‘Glass on the Edge of Craft - Challenging the Material’ the gallery presents new works by Morten Klitgaard, Pernille Braun Per-René Larsen, Ida Wieth, Anett Biliczki

Køppe Contemporary Objects is a gallery and presentation platform for sculptural objects at the intersection of art and crafts. Køppe cooperates closely with a group of artists who share an interest in the inherent possibilities of materials and the historical qualities associated with traditional crafts and techniques. The artists share a passion for exploring the meaning of objects in relation to function and iconography. Another common feature of their work is their focus on combining tradition with interpretation and experimentation to create works that hold contemporary relevance.

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At Enter Art Fair 2021, the gallery did present a number of works under the title ‘Accumulated Fragment’. The signature work was an installation by the internationally recognized ceramicist Bodil Manz. The installation is built like an experimental display of a futuristic architectural town model with the recognizable porcelain cylinders as the building blocks. The complete work is 400 x 110 cm and consists of 132 individual pieces.

Artists: Bodil Manz,Per-Rene' Larsen, Morten Klitgaard, Pernille Braun, Michael Geertsen/Rasmus Bækkel Fex.

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24 July – 5 September 2021

Who knows

if things don't

know in themselves

that we’re called / something else.

This excerpt from the Danish poet Inger Christensen’s ‘Letter in April’ (trans. Susanna Nied) from 1979 invites us to consider ourselves and the rest of the world on the object’s terms. This perspective has served as the basis for Pernille Pontoppidan Pedersen’s solo exhibition The Object I Am, which opens at K ppe Contemporary Objects on 24 July.

In the creative process, the material almost becomes a sort of subject that answers back, expresses feelings, has a memory. The final piece is the product of an interaction between the two – in this case, the artist and the clay. In Pernille Pontoppidan Pedersen’s own description, her engagement with the clay springs from an accumulation of energy and restlessness and observations of unusual encounters and the conflicts they give rise to.

Her works are easily decoded, free from contrived or speculative precepts and, most importantly, unpredictable, as a result of her deliberately impulsive process. These conversations with the object – clay, wood, glaze – are the overarching theme of The Object I Am.

‘I wish to meet the object on equal footing and allow the dialogue to set the course. How can the object and I coexist on equal terms? How does the object exist independent of human perception, and can it exist on its own terms? The exhibition examines the object as something other and more than inanimate materiality – as something that is imbued with insight, knowledge, feelings and lived experience,’ says Pernille and underscores the crucial importance of dialogue.

The American philosopher Graham Harman has formulated the theory of Object-Oriented Ontology, which claims that objects and human beings are equal and that it should be mandatory to embrace a perception of reality that goes beyond the common anthropocentric worldview: ‘All such objects must be accounted for by ontology, not merely denounced or reduced to despicable nullities,’ he writes. Pernille Pontoppidan Pedersen’s works of art thus enter into a mutual dialogue with each other that takes place on the same terms as their dialogue with the viewer.

Pernille Pontoppidan Pedersen is a ceramic sculptor who lives and works on farm outside the Danish town of Silkeborg. Her engagement with the clay springs from an accumulation of energy and restlessness and observations of unusual encounters and the conflicts they give rise to. She is guided by impulses and intuition, which imbues the form and expression of the individual pieces with a quality of unpredictability.

Pernille Pontoppidan Pedersen has held several exhibitions both in Denmark and abroad. Her works are included in the collections of Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris and CLAY Museum of Ceramic Art Denmark and in the Erik Veistrup Collection. She is a participantin the Danish Arts Foundation’s career promotion programme Den Unge Kunstneriske Elite (The Young Artistic Elite) 2021–22.

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Morten Klitgaard’s art exemplifies perfectly how crucial technical skill is for artistic innovation. His work revolves around material and technique, and through his mastery of these two core aspects he has developed a unique artistic expression, grasp of form and material approach. 

Morten Klitgaard’s original interest in glass was sparked by his fascination with the working process: the finely choreographed ‘dance’ when the glass-blowers at Holmegaard Glassworks assumed their precise positions to create an object in smooth, closely coordinated movements. This skilled performance fascinates many people and is often the first step for anyone who ends up working with glass. 

Glass has occupied a central place in Morten Klitgaard’s life ever since his childhood in Lønstrup on the Danish North Sea coast. After lengthy internships with some of Denmark’s leading glass-blowers and a BA from The Danish Royal Academy on Bornholm he now has his own studio and practice. 

Like many of his generation, he aims to visualize the physical processes of the materials. Instead of a more traditional, planned approach, form and ornamentation emerge through his engagement with the material by means of air and fire. The result is an often raw and accidental expression, an aesthetic that seems to reproduce the forces of nature. The young generation has grown up with the awareness that nature is under threat, that all materials are precious, and that humankind, in our excessive need for conquest and innovation, have destroyed and depleted irreplaceable resources. The result is an aesthetic where natural is beautiful, and where natural materials do not need to be cultivated but instead contain an inherent beauty that is good (GOD). It is this background – from a child’s fascination to a profound grasp of material possibilities and meaning – that forms the foundation of Morten’s current practice. 

His pieces balance between the recognizably familiar and the supernatural. They are heavy, raw, masculine. The notion that these pieces are ‘man-made’, even ‘mouth-made’, is received with scepticism – certainly, they must be ceramics, not glass, which is associated with a different set of qualities. The rapidity of the process, in contrast to the slow ceramic techniques, has a crucial impact on the objects’ suppleness of form and their surface ornamentation. 

A common quality of the groups Metamorphosis, Fosforit, Voir, Oro, Flux and Origin that Morten has been working on over the past four years is that the spontaneity of the glass process is manifested in their expression. The longer he works to perfect the technique, the simpler the forms become. The natural form is created by gravity, by the air blown into the glass and by his technical mastery. 

Most of all, the pieces resemble monoliths from outer space, eggs laid by an extra-terrestrial alien or maybe a new variety of stone. This is something as rare as masculine glass, liberated from the classic ‘pretty’ qualities that are often associated with glass but still maintaining its power of fascination, beauty and natural presence.

Køppe, Juni 2021

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At ENTER ART FAIR 2020, Køppe Contemporary Objects presents three work series that all examine the relationship between decoration and process.

The three artists showcased by the gallery all seek to expose the processing of their materials and to visualize the process from raw material to the finished work of art, where both form and surface are shaped by experimental processes that are often hard to control. Through their decades-long professional practice, the artists have developed a grasp of ceramics and glass, respectively, that elevates the pieces from experiments and alchemical samples to singular works of art with a decorative quality. The works are outstanding examples of current Danish crafts – contemporary conversation pieces.

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The exhibition presents a large group of ceramic pieces by Lone Skov Madsen, dating from 2007–2019. Across the wide variation in expression and the long time span, her work explores a common theme. The shapes are organic, always with the vase as the underlying form. Thus, the unfettered expression notwithstanding, there is a unifying quality to the form that allows for experimental decorative surfaces. Lone Skov Madsen’s treatment of ceramic surfaces is her specialty, based on repetition of minute artistic features to form powerful ornamentation.

Together with the works by Lone Skov Madsen we also present more recent pieces by Bodil Manz, Michael Geertsen, Pernille Pontoppidan, Morten Klitgaard, Irene Nordli, Mia Göransson.

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Exhibition space ‘Officinet’ - Bredgade 66, Copenhagen

Exhibition period: 8 February – 29 February 2020

Contributing artists: Irene Nordli (N), Bodil Manz (DK), Mia E. Göransson (S)

The exhibition is curated by Bettina Køppe – Køppe Contemporary Objects

The exhibition is supported by the Danish Arts Foundation

The exhibition PORCELAIN PLUS - Nordli + Manz + Göransson is a material-oriented exhibition where the potential of porcelain for artistic statements is demonstrated by three Nordic virtuosos. It is a contemporary exhibition that addresses current and traditional artistic issues.

Irene Nordli's (N) point of departure is the porcelain figurine. It has undergone a development, where figurative elements peek out in large organic accumulations. Her use of the material is dramatic, suggesting intuitive emotional outbursts and offering glimpses of human body parts. The result is a contemporary ceramic sculpture with references to traditional porcelain figurines.

Bodil Manz (DK) generally explores 'the vessel' in her work. The exhibition shows her latest porcelain cylinders - paper-thin, with sharp geometric decorations and a subtle perforation that opens the body up to reveal the interior space. Through her longstanding work with porcelain Bodil Manz has developed a unique sense of the material's capacity and poetic presence.

Mia E. Göransson (S) works within the still-life tradition. Based on her vast library of moulds she casts elements, which are then stacked and combined to form abstract scenes in delicate colours. Her work addresses the sculptor's classic focus on contrasts: soft vs. hard, figurative vs. abstract. Mia's tableaux form ceramic landscapes with references to nature and industry.

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Again, this year, Køppe Contemporary Objects is present at the CHART DESIGN FAIR. The fair is held at Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art, Oslo Plads 1 in Copenhagen, from 30 August to 1 September 2019. 

The gallery presents works by:

Gitte Bjørn /Silver, Egeværk /Wood, Michael Geertsen /Ceramic, Marianne Eriksen Scott-Hansen /Paper, Morten Klitgaard /Glass, Per-René Larsen /Glass, Irene Nordli/ Ceramic, Pernille Pontoppidan Pedersen /Ceramic, Ida Wieth /Glass 

At CHART DESIGN Køppe Contemporary Objects continues to showcase the artistic potential of crafts. We present pieces with a variety of expressions, where the process and the treatment of the materials determine the final result.  

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Exhibition at Officinet – Bredgade 66 – Copenhagen

Private view 6 June 16.00-19.00

Last day of the exhibition 29 June

The exhibition is a celebration of the Danish glass artist Per-René Larsen’s 70th birthday on 22 June 2019. It presents 10 new pieces in his sculptural hot glass series ‘Easy Living’.

About Per-René:

Per-René Larsen belongs to the first generation of studio glass artists in Denmark. He graduated from the School of Decorative Art (now Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Design) in Copenhagen in 1975 and later attended the Nordic region’s leading glass school, Orrefors Glasskola (now the National School of Glass), in Sweden.

Per-René co-founded the ltd. glassworks Snoldelev Glasbrug Amba in cooperation with Skak Snitker and others and immediately became one of the leading studio glass artists. The experimental and explorative approach to the material has characterized Per-René’s glass art ever since.

In 1984 he founded the workshop ‘Fanefjord Glas’ on the Danish island of Møn, where he still works today. Here he pursues three tracks: utilitarian glass, which, in addition to paying the rent, is also a playful exploration of function; sculptural hot glass, often based on the concept of the vase; and Land Art installations, which investigate the optical possibilities of glass in a dialogue with the environment. All three lines of work are approached with equal care and skill.

Per-René never ceases to challenge conventions and has no desire to meet market expectations or ride the coat tails of artistic fads. His approach is that of a scientist studying the possibilities of his material, while the public aspects of the artist’s life are a necessary evil.

In a brief essay, ‘Why hot glass’, he outlines the considerations and challenges that exist at the intersection of art and craft, as follows:

A polarisation has arisen with studio glass. On the one hand are those who reject anything having to do with process-oriented work and who try to achieve artistic legitimacy by concentrating on the established language of art as expressed in sculpture, installation, etc. On the other hand are those who concentrate on pushing beyond the bounds of conventional craftsmanship in the name of purely aesthetic criteria, often without daring to infuse their works with the sharpness that could truly move barriers.

I see this polarisation as a misplaced focus on the context of the times – at its worst, a dishonest parrotry. An artistic statement cannot be inhibited by the fact that the world does not take the medium seriously. On the other hand, the process-oriented work can by virtue of respect and devotion to the material infuse a work with the physicality and poetry that modern art rejects, but which is a vital prerequisite for our mental survival.

About the glass series ‘Easy Living’:

The exhibition shows pieces from the series ‘Easy Living’ or ‘A paraphrase on tidying up accumulated matter’. The technique applied here is one that Per-René has developed over the past five years. Briefly put, the works are glass collages based on older pieces and details combined with specially produced glass elements entering into a new fusion and composition and emerging as a new work of art.

The result: a Per-René remix. The clear glass orbs are suggestive of utilitarian glass, and in combination with the older ‘vase’ components, the references to his earlier hot glass works are evident. In scale, the pieces resemble vases and classic craft objects traditionally used in the home. In addition to drawing on glass history the pieces also reference Per-René’s almost five-decades-long engagement with both utilitarian and sculptural glass. The collage technique is complicated. The process involves working directly in hot glass and requires painstaking planning. Regardless of the artist’s skill and experience the process can never be fully controlled, and throughout the artist has to remain open to the material and ready to follow the process as it unfolds.

By sampling both Per-René s history and the history of glass-making, the ‘Easy Living’ series offers a current take on contemporary glass sculpture. The material is pushed to the limit, the references are in place, and the result is startlingly beautiful and visually challenging.

With a neo-baroque approach to her material, Marianne braids, knots, cuts and twists her way through vast amounts of paper. The colours are either heavy and sombre or delicate pastels. The material is vibrant and light. The many components combine to form new entities, and the immediate beauty comes with sombre undertones. Always perfectly balanced with a decorative purpose in mind.

Marianne graduated from The Danish Design School, Line of Clothing Design, Institute for One-Off Designs (now Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Design). After working with textile and leather for many years, paper proved to offer the optimal medium for her to unfold her universe. The humble and pliable character of paper makes it an ideal ‘experimentarium’. Like a sculptor she creates new forms by combining many small components. Her works appear as a bustling jumble of tiny independent objects. Seen from a distance, they form a balanced, harmonious object; shaped in the most delicate materials with exquisite skill and craftsmanship.

This exhibition has the mask and thus the face as its overarching theme. Like the baroque painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo, who uses individual elements – vegetables, fruit, birds and fish – as allegories for a larger whole, Marianne uses nature-like elements to form new images with a surrealist feel.

Isabel Berglund - Heidi Bjørgan - Pernille Braun- Christina Schou Christsensen - Susanne Hangaard - Marianne Eriksen Scott-Hansen - Nils Viga Hausken - Gitte Jungersen - Per-René Larsen - Rikke Ruhwald - Terese William Waenerlund

Køppe Contemporary Objects is proud to announce we ware participating in Collect - the last time was in 2009. Now in its 13th edition, Køppe Contemporary Objects were showing in the stunning setting of the Saatchi Gallery in London’s Kings Road from 2 – 6 February 2017.

Read more about Collect:
http://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/what-we-do/collect/

The background for Køppe Contemporary’s selection of works for Collect is an artistic analysis of the role of the home in a postmodern Nordic context. The exhibition visualizes the traditional functions of the home by means of works whose lack of functionality highlights how the late modern home has become devoid of functions. 

9 — 20 December 2016

The works suggest familiar everyday objects: vases, cake stands, bowls and dishes, but in a slightly distorted perspective. All the traces of hand-crafting have been maintained. In glaze. In my works, I pursue a diverse idiom, where familiar functional or form elements from everyday life are transformed into a more abstract sculptural expression. These traces of familiarity fused with abstract form create an indefinable dual sense of uncertainty and familiarity.

In Nine Suspensions, I explore ceramic sculpture. Working in malleable clay, I create shapes that engage in a dialogue with the viewer’s conceptual framework and sense of recognition. My goal is to explore the way a certain form can appear familiar and evoke parallels to another object that seems somehow related. A relationship between two forms that appear unrelated to anyone besides the individual beholder.

Consciously as well as unconsciously, we search our memory and subconscious for references to something that we already know, have experienced or sensed. When we look at a familiar form, we are able to sense what it feels like, how it feels in one’s hand, the tactility and the material.

I find this framework of concepts and references that each of us develops and relies upon via our memory – underlying as well as conscious layers – fascinating and inspiring, and it is exactly what I aim to explore and examine through my pieces in ‘Nine Suspensions’.  
 

Pernille Pontoppidan Pedersen

13 — 22 October 2016

Artists : Robert Dawson, Anne Tophøj, Paul Scott,
Marek Cecula, Michael Geertsen & Peder Rasmussen