Artist of the Month
July 2016
Micha Karlslund and Steffen Dam
After sharing a studio and working side-by-side for more than 20 years, Micha Karlslund and Steffen Dam have embarked on the Cylinder project, a new body of collaborative work. The Cylinders could be described as personal narrative collages for which the artists are developing a new iconography of original screen-printed glass enamel decals. Micha and Steffen are represented by Heller Gallery, New York City.
Click on each photo to the right for a full picture.
THE ANATOMY OF A KISS, 2016; Steffen Dam & Micha Karlslund; 15 x 11 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. (38.1 x 29.2 x 29.2 cm); glass/enamels; view A
THE ANATOMY OF A KISS, 2016; Steffen Dam & Micha Karlslund; 15 x 11 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. (38.1 x 29.2 x 29.2 cm); glass/enamels; view B
OBSERVATORIE, 2016; Steffen Dam & Micha Karlslund; 16 x 11 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. (40.6 x 29.2 x 29.2 cm); glass/enamels; view A
OBSERVATORIE, 2016; Steffen Dam & Micha Karlslund; 16 x 11 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. (40.6 x 29.2 x 29.2 cm); glass/enamels; view B
FISHERMAN, 2016; Steffen Dam & Micha Karlslund; 15 1/2 x 11 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. (39.4 x 29.2 x 29.2 cm); glass/enamels; view A
FISHERMAN, 2016; Steffen Dam & Micha Karlslund; 15 1/2 x 11 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. (39.4 x 29.2 x 29.2 cm); glass/enamels; view B
THE NORTH, 2016; Steffen Dam & Micha Karlslund; 16 1/2 x 11 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. (41.9 x 29.2 x 29.2 cm); glass/enamels; view A
THE NORTH, 2016; Steffen Dam & Micha Karlslund; 16 1/2 x 11 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. (41.9 x 29.2 x 29.2 cm); glass/enamels; view B
THE SECRET LIFE OF PLANTS, 2014; Steffen Dam; 25 9/16 x 21 5/8 x 7 13/16 in. (65 x 55 x 20 cm); glass/metal
ENCYCLOPEDIC COLLECTION, 2016; Steffen Dam; 37 x 22 3/4 x 9 3/4 in. (94 x 58 x 25 cm); glass/wood/lighting fixture
(left) HUMAN/GETTING UP, 2013; 8-1/4 inches high (21 cm); (right) POSTCARD FROM A SWEDISH DREAM, 2013; 8-1/2 inches high (22 cm)); both by Micha Karlslund; glass/metal foil
FLORILEGIUM HANDRUPENSE IV, 2014; Micha Karlslund; 15 x 13-1/4 inches (38 x 34 cm); glass/metal foil/plants
Micha Karlslund and Steffen Dam
About Micha Karlslund and Steffen Dam
MICHA KARLSLUND & STEFFEN DAM’S CYLINDERS
After sharing a studio and working side-by-side for more than 20 years, Micha Karlslund and Steffen Dam have embarked on the Cylinder project, a new body of collaborative work. The Cylinders could be described as personal narrative collages for which the artists are developing a new iconography of original screen-printed glass enamel decals. Their sources vary widely from original photography to images appropriated from print and digital media. Working with both the cylinder format, which shows images in segments, and the transparency of glass, which has the potential to reveal and layer – their story is seen, distorted and righted, dreamed, faded and remembered.
STEFFEN DAM
Cabinets of curiosities – encyclopedic collections and precursors to museums – were once assembled to broaden and improve our understanding of the world, and by association, confirm and elevate their owner’s social standing. Such Wunderkammers inspire Danish artist Steffen Dam. Dam, who as a child loved studying his grandparents’ insect cabinets and books with plates of plants and animals, makes imaginary glass specimen, which trace the fictive evolutionary trajectories still waiting to be told.
Steffen Dam is the recipient of the 2012 Rakow Commission from the Corning Museum of Glass. His work is included in collections of the Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA; Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY; the Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY; Museum fur Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany; The Danish Museum of Decorative Art, Copenhagen, Denmark; The Chazen Museum, Madison, WI, and in prestigious public and private collections in the USA and Europe.
MICHA KARLSLUND
Micha Karlslund is an artist, designer and master glass maker, whose interests go beyond sheer technical brilliance. Her intent is to reveal the nature of the object; to endow it with a purpose. Ten years ago Micha embarked on Project Image and Glass, combining the world of pictorial art with the world of 3-dimensional glass. Karlslund’s works are sometimes inspired by actual events, but her greater concern is exploring a new artistic language – to express moods and sensual experiences in a poetic vision of existence.
Micha Karlslund’s work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions in Europe, Asia and the United States. Her pieces are represented in the collections of public institutions including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England; Design Museum Denmark; the Danish Arts Foundation; the Glass Museum Ebeltoft in Denmark; the Swedish Art Council; and the Ernsting Foundation in Germany. Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II, The Queen of Denmark, holds Karlslunds work in her private collection.
Click here for the artists' resumes.
Acknowledgment of Gallery:
We are grateful to Heller Gallery, New York City, for providing the Artist of the Month.
The Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to further the development and appreciation of art made from glass.
The Alliance informs collectors, critics and curators by encouraging and supporting museum exhibitions, university glass departments and specialized teaching programs, regional collector groups, visits to private collections, and public seminars.
