“Kraft” – A Traveling Exhibition of Glass and Ceramic Crafts
In connection with the craft cooperative Blås & Knåda’s 50th anniversary, the traveling exhibition “Kraft” is being organized, featuring the cooperative’s 30 active members. The exhibition, which marks the 50th anniversary, showcases what the members are currently working on.
Visitors can learn about the cooperative’s history through the book that accompanies the exhibition. The book presents the collective’s development via a timeline and a historical text by Kerstin Wickman, along with a contemporary text about glass by Anna Mlasowsky and one about ceramics by Love Jönsson, accompanied by extensive photographic material shot by Märta Thisner during 2024, as well as archive materials and words from the members.
The collective spirit that dominated when Blås & Knåda was formed later faced competition from a more individualistic development, only to now swing back toward more collective forces again. In a time when cultural budget cuts are becoming increasingly common, individual craftspeople find it harder to survive on their own – context and colleagues become even more important components for moving forward and developing their practice. The craft collective Blås & Knåda has meant a great deal to many within the glass and ceramics community in Sweden, and continues to do so 50 years after its formation. Many have been members of the cooperative for a long time, four founding members are still active, and new talents join the membership ranks every year.
To survive as a craftsperson today requires power. And community. This is what the members of Blås & Knåda repeatedly talk about – how the power of community strengthens their individual artistry.
The participating artists in “Kraft” are Blås & Knåda’s current active members:
Malin Adner, Annette Alsiö, Lena Andersson, Anna Broström, Jakob Danhard, Nilla Eneroth, Ulla Forsell, Ylva Wilhelmina Franzén, Ulla Gustafsson, Heidi Hirengen Fischer, Linda Karlsson, Gunilla Kihlgren, Eva-Marie Kothe, Sara Lundkvist, Malin Mena, Hisako Mizuno Jonsson, Normal Object Factory, Stina Neander, Carin Nordling, Rikard Palmqvist, Mari Pårup, Anna-Lena Rudolfsson, Linn Sjöstedt, Eva Skarbäck, Agneta Spångberg, Lena Svensson, Marie Söderholm, Eva Ullberg, Nina Westman och Karol Zarbock.
“Kraft” – an exhibition whose title is a play on words between the Swedish word “kraft” (power) and the English word “craft”
The title also refers to the Swedish word’s meaning of energy, stamina, strength, and sometimes courage. In a craft cooperative that has existed for 50 years, there is much power. Collective power from individual people. Shared power. Craft power.
The exhibition features a wide range of craftspeople – some work with functional objects or public art, others more artistically. The mix of members – those who recently completed their studies, some who have been with the cooperative since its start in 1975, and many more in between – is reflected in the diversity of works the exhibition presents.
A cross-section of how glass artists and ceramicists work today
We see, for example, works by Ulla Forsell, who helped start Blås & Knåda and is considered a pioneer and role model in Swedish studio glass history. Her sculptural series The Corona Collection is a contemporary commentary built in collage form in her recognizable playful and colorful style. Linn Sjöstedt belongs to the younger generation, with a degree from Konstfack in 2014. She consistently works with themes around the absurdity of everyday life and society’s pressures on the individual. Her sculptural objects in ceramics take their starting point in material expectations and ultimately express themselves in a way reminiscent of a mix between majolica and pop art.
Rikard Palmquist calls himself a pure functional ceramicist, and we get to see what he primarily works with – unique commissions for Japanese fine-dining restaurants.
Ulla Gustafsson shows glass’s plasticity in her expressive poetic decanters, while Jakob Danhard’s figurative forms in stoneware invite us into a playful fantasy world reminiscent of a fable in the form of a coffee party.
Nina Westman’s works are rooted in both politics and humor; her cast glass objects signal rebellion, revolt, and life. The driving force in Karol Zarbock’s artistic work is longing, nostalgia, and storytelling. This often results in collage-formed ceramics where both sculptures and functional objects are hand-built, with inspiration drawn from nature, archaeology, and everyday objects.
Carin Nordling has worked with the same series of functional ceramics for many years, which she constantly develops and upgrades. She repeatedly asks herself if she can throw the ware a little thinner or if the handle can be improved?
Welcome to experience the power of craft.
March 8–April 27, 2025
Photo: Märta Thisner