Gunilla Maria Åkesson

View works. Gunilla Maria Åkesson
View works

Statement from the artist:
My white cylinders were conceived as I wanted to include into my work a sense of fragility and vulnerability, together with instilling strength and calmness. These two senses of awareness are difficult to convey, but I have always had an internal feeling which I have tried to convey in the concept and expression of these cylinders. For me, the working process is always a medium to understand how such feelings are a part of my life and how they affect me on a deeper level.

My creative process has for many years led me to get my shapes thinner and thinner. I have taken one step at a time to achieve it, and now they have started to become really thin, like a veil between me and something else on the other side. Now the cylinder walls are so thin that you can see light through the porcelain.

To get the thin fragile organic surface, I build up the cylinders in sections, about 5-7 cms each time. Then I throw each section with one hand on the sculpture’s wheel, the other spinning the wheel. I make one or maybe two sections a day. A cylinder about 50 cms high takes about two weeks to make.

Education

National College of Art and Design, Bergen, Norway 1987 – 92

Solo Exhibitions

2011, Bergdala Artgallery, Växjö (S)
2008, Gallery FORMAT, Bergen, (N)
2008, Rörstrands Museum, Lidköping (S)
2008, Bergdala Artgallery, Växjö (S)
2006, Lerverk, Gothenburg, (S)
2005, The Regional Artcenter, Sogn og Fjordane, Førde (N)
2002, Kunstnerforbundet, Oslo (N) Blås & Knåda, Stockholm (S)
1999, The Regional Art center, Kritiansand, (N)
1994, Blås & Knåda, Stockholm (S) Galleri Villvin, Risør (N)

Group Exhibitions / selected

2013, COLLECT, The International Art Fair, Saatchi Gallery, London (UK)
2012, The Annual Exhibition of Norwegian Craft National museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo (N)
ARTsf 2012, ArtMuseum of Sogn & Fjordane, Førde (N)
”Muddy”, ÖSKG / Tjörnedala Art Gallery, Simrishamn (S)
The Peace Rider Group, Osnabrück, Germany
European Prize Award 2012, Mons, Belgium
”Djurisk aptit”, Galleri Kvarnen, in the house of Carl Larsson,
Sundborn, arr; Blås & Knåda
2011, The Peace Rider Group, Indiana University, Evansville, USA
2009, Sydosten, Designarkivet, Nybro (S)
EXHIBITION09 Norwegian Craft, National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo (N)
The 5th World ceramic Biennale 2009, Korea (CEBIKO) (Kr)
The Artvillage of Vevring invites the world! (Vevring celebrates it’s 30 years anniversary.) (N)
2008, “Taktil”, Hå Gamle Prestegard, Stavanger(N)
2007, “Clay without borders”, The National Museum, Onikan, Lagos, Nigeria “Emergence”, Transplant, Dale i Sunnfjord, (N)
2006, “Sans” Tendenser, Galleri F15, Moss, (N)
2005, Nordic Ceramics, County museum of Varberg, (S)
2004 – 2007, “Trolls – Figures in Norwegian Contemporary ceramics” exhibition organized by the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Curator; Harald Solberg
2004, The Vevringexhibition, Naustdal, (N)
2003, “Svorsk”, Nääs Konsthantverk, Nääs Slott, (S)
The 2nd World Ceramic Biennale 2003, Korea (Kr)
2002, “Ceramics from Norway”, Galerie Handwerk, Munich, (D)
“Modern Masters” International Crafts Fair, Munich, (D)
2001, “New Nordic Ceramics”, Galleri Nørby, Copenhagen, (Dk)
“Kunsthåndverk 2001”, The Regional Art center, Haugar (N)
2000, Annual Exhibition of Art Crafts – 00, Bergen (N)
KERAMION, Frechen, (D)
1999, Annual Exhibition of Art Crafts – 99, Oslo (N)
Norwegian Contemporary Ceramics, Millenium Ceramic Symposium, Amsterdam (NL)
1998, Pots around the City – an experiment in big scale”, Blås & Knåda, Stockholm (S)
1998, Annual Exhibition of Art Crafts 98, Trondheim (N)
1997, The 50th International Ceramic Art Competition, Faenza (I)
1996, Galleriet, Växjö (S)
Annual Exhibition of Art Crafts- 96, Oslo (N)
1993, “Before the year of 1030”, NK Agder, Kristiansand (N)
1992, Kaolin Gallery, Stockholm (S)
1990 Sydosten, Kalmar Museum of Art, Kalmar (S)

Official Collections

The National Museum of Decorative Art, Trondheim(N)
Sogn og Fjordane Art Museum, Førde (N)

The Regional Collection of the West Region, (S)
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign affairs The National Museum Art, Architecture & Design, Oslo (N)
The West Norway Museum of Applied Art, Bergen (N)
The Art Museum of Sørlandet, Kristiansand, (N)
The Swedish Council of Culture (S)
The Norwegian Council of Culture (N)
The Authorities of Aust – Agder, (N)
The Authorities of Uppvidinge, (S)

Private Collections

H.R.H. Queen Sonja (N)
Ragnhild Smørås, (N)

Scholarships

2006, The National Scholarships for artist`s, travel and study (N)
2005, The County of Sogn og Fjordane, (N)
2001 – 2004, The Craftsmen Fund´s 3 year Scholarship for Artists (N)
2000, The Authorities of Bergen Town (N)
1999, The National Scholarships for artist`s, material (N)
1998, The Authorities in the County of Hordaland (N)
1997, The National Scholarships for artist`s, travel and study (N)
1996, The Authorities of Bergen Town (N)
1992 – 94, The Center of Art, Risør (N)
1986, The Authorities of Uppvidinge (S)

Study trips

2007, Lagos, Nigeria
2007, Shigaraki, Japan
2003, Korea
1997, Florens, Italien

Related Activities

2012, Guestmember, Blås & Knåda, Stockholm
2007, Workshop, Lagos, Nigeria ”Uniting Potters through Cooperation”, Nigeria – Norway – Sweden
2005, Workshop – seminar, exchange with ceramists from the Nordic Countries and Balkan
2002, Illustrated the book “From Healing to wholeness” by Audhild Karlsen
2001, “Process”, Ceramic Symposium, Risør (N)
2000, “Black Ceramics” Ceramic Symposium, Vilnius, Litauen
1998, “Osnabrücker friedensreiter”,Ceramic symposium, IBK, Osnabrück (D)
1997, Work Shop “Pots around the City“, Blås & Knåda and the European City of Culture 1998, Stockholm (S)

Publications

1999 / 36 Ceramics, Art and Perception, “Ceramics in Scandinavia” by Randi Gaustad
1999 / nov, Ceramics Monthly, Norwegian ceramics
2000 / 1 Kunsthandverk ; Indre meditative rom” by Øystein Laundal
2001 Catalogue, ”Mentalt og Materielt” by Nina Malterud
2001 / 5 Neue keramik, ”Geist und Materie”, by Nina Malterud
2002 Radioprogram in NRK P2 „Agenda“ by Svein Kjos, broadcast 8 september 2002
2004 / 1 Keramik Magazine, “ Mandala”, by Ulla Munck Jørgensen
2005 Catalogue, “New works” by Ulla Munck Jørgensen
2006 Catalogue, “Enigmatic Energies” by Grete Huus
2008 / 2 Tidskrift Svenskt Konsthantverk, Bo Borg
2008 / 06 New Ceramics; “Enigmatic Energies” by Grete Huus