Klara Kristalova

Under solen by Klara Kristalova at Mariebergsskogen Karlstad, Sweden

Klara Kristalova (born 1967) is a sculptor, who works mostly in ceramics. She plays upon the Meissen porcelain technique, working in a similar fashion but with larger figurines.[1] She lives and works in Sweden. She has exhibited internationally in solo and group shows in London, Paris, Miami, New York, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Santa Fe as part of Museum Site Santa Fe, Stockholm at the Nationalmuseum, and Santa Barbara in the Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum.

Personal background

Klara Kristalova was born in Czechoslovakia and raised in Sweden; she currently lives and works in Norrtälje, Sweden. Her father is Czech artist Eugen Krajcik. She attended the Royal University College of Fine Arts, Stockholm 1988-93.

Professional background

Kristalova is known for her ceramic sculptures that have a fantastical quality while exploring darker narrative.[2] Traditional myths, fairy tales, and other literary sources such as Hans Christian Andersen, Selma Lagerlöf, Gösta Berling, old DC comics, and Oscar Wilde serve as an inspiration to her work. By using these works and adding her own twist, Kristalova explores memory, trauma, and the lost territory of childhood. Her characters are mostly girls, who morph into flora, fauna, and other natural elements.[3]

According to art critic Anders Olofsson, "Klara Kristalova is a storyteller who uses the plasticity of sculpture to build small micro worlds, where something peculiar has just happened or is about to happen. Here she relates to a sculpture tradition that has its roots several hundred years in the past. In this tradition the three-dimensional artwork is seen as a means of three-dimensionally "educating" the viewer in a realm inhabited by both the viewer and the artwork simultaneously through their common physical relationship to the room."[4]

Kristalova has exhibited internationally in solo and group shows in London, Paris, Miami, New York, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Santa Fe as part of Site Santa Fe, Stockholm at the Nationalmuseum, and Santa Barbara in the Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum. In late fall/winter of 2011, she will have a solo exhibition at Lehmann Maupin Gallery. She has created numerous public commissions in Sweden such as the memorial in the public garden park in Tungelsta, Stockholm; the entrance to Karlstad public park; and sculptures at Ostersunds University. Her work is part of public collections including the Moderna Museet/Modern Museum, Stockholm, Sweden and the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Smith, Roberta. Makers and Modelers: Works in Ceramic, New York Times, 7 September 2007
  2. ↑ Sonnenborn, Katie. "Makers and Modellers", Frieze, March 2008
  3. ↑ Hubbard, Sue. New Work: Klara Kirstalova, Art World, June/July 2009.
  4. ↑ Olofsson, Anders. "Klara Kristalova Sculptures" in Klara Kristalova, ed. Raphael Gatel, (Paris: Karlsson/Perrotin, 2007) ISBN 978-2-9532797-4-0.
  5. ↑ Klara Kristalova Biography, Alison Jacques Gallery

External links

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