Klara Kristalova
Encyclopedia
Klara Kristalova is a sculptor, who works mostly in ceramics. She plays upon the Meissen porcelain
technique, working in a similar fashion but with larger figurines. 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.
, Sweden. Her father is Czech artist Eugen Krajcik. She attended the Royal University College of Fine Arts
, Stockholm.
, 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.
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."
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.
Meissen porcelain
Meissen porcelain or Meissen china is the first European hard-paste porcelain that was developed from 1708 by Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus. After his death that October, Johann Friedrich Böttger, continued his work and brought porcelain to the market...
technique, working in a similar fashion but with larger figurines. 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 NorrtäljeNorrtälje
Norrtälje is a locality and the seat of Norrtälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 17,275 inhabitants in 2010.- History :Norrtälje traces its history to 1219, when the location was first mentioned as Tälje. After some time, the name officially became Norrtälje, to separate it from the...
, Sweden. Her father is Czech artist Eugen Krajcik. She attended the Royal University College of Fine Arts
Royal University College of Fine Arts
The Royal Institute of Art is an institution in Stockholm, Sweden for higher education in art, founded in 1735. The school was part of the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts, until 1978 when it was made independent. It is under the supervision of the Ministry of Education.-External links:*...
, Stockholm.
Professional background
Kristalova is known for her ceramic sculptures that have a fantastical quality while exploring darker narrative. Traditional myths, fairy tales, and other literary sources such as Hans Christian AndersenHans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
, Selma Lagerlöf
Selma Lagerlöf
Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf was a Swedish author. She was the first female writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, and most widely known for her children's book Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige ....
, Gösta Berling, old DC comics, and Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
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.
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."
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
Site Santa Fe
SITE Santa Fe is a non-profit contemporary arts organization based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Since its founding, SITE Santa Fe has gained worldwide recognition through a series of biennial exhibitions that have featured numerous famous artists...
, 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
Moderna Museet
Moderna museet, the Museum of Modern Art, Stockholm, Sweden, is a state museum located on the island of Skeppsholmen in central Stockholm, that was first opened in 1958. Its first manager was Pontus Hultén...
/Modern Museum, Stockholm, Sweden and the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden.
External links
- Klara Kristalova Official Website
- Lehmann Maupin Gallery
- Alison Jacques Gallery
- Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin
- SITE Santa Fe
- Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum
- Nationalmuseum Stockholm
- {http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/klara-kristalova/?scp=1&sq=klara%20kristalova&st=cse T Magazine, New York Times]