Constructing Space

1 Ane Christensen, ‘Wilderness Bowl’, black patinated brass, 30x30x18cm. Photo: Nicola Tree

2 Ane Christensen, Workshop. Photo: Paul Read

3 Ane Christensen, Portrait. Photo: Paul Read

4 Ane Christensen, ‘Ghost Bowl’ sterling silver, 29x23x15cm. Photo: Nicola Tree

5 Ane Christensen, ‘Cube Bowls’ patinated brass, silver and steel, approx 10x18x13-14x22x12cm.

Photo: Nicola Tree

6 Ane Christensen, ‘Rambling Candlesticks’ black patinated brass and silver, 20x15x20cm.

Photo: Nicola Tree

7 Heidi-Hentze, OvalRoom. 2021.

8 Heidi-Hentze, White diamond. 2016.

Photo: Ole Akhoej

9 Heidi Hentze, Portrait. Photo: Rasmus Kvist Media

10 Heidi-Hentze, Mirroring Water, 2023.

11 Heidi-Hentze, Cincin, 2023.

12 Heidi-Hentze, Magnolia, 2023.

13 Heidi-Hentze, Reminiscence, 2023.

14 Heidi-Hentze, Clifton, 2023.

15 Trine Drivsholm, Portrait.

16 Trine Drivsholm, Botanical Structure, Green, 2023. H.25x20,5x5cm

17 Trine Drivsholm, Decay, Smaragd, 2023.

H.7,5 x Ø.24,5cm

18 Trine Drivsholm, Inside Out, Green, 2023.

H.5 x Ø.17cm

19 Trine Drivsholm, Inside Out, Blue, 2023.

H.7,5 x Ø.18cm

20 Trine Drivsholm, Decay, Green, 2023.

H.5,5 x Ø.20,5cm

21 Trine Drivsholm, Botanical Structure, Black, 2023. H.21,5x22,5x5,5cm

22 Trine Drivsholm, Botanical Structure, White, 2023.

H.25x20x5cm

Yvonna Demczynska

In ‘Constructing Space’, we present three female Danish artists, Ane Christensen, Heidi Hentze and Trine Drivsholm. Through their different materials – metal, porcelain, and glass – the artists give a lens into the amazing diversity of contemporary Danish craft.

Their work has never been shown together before, yet Christensen, Hentze and Drivsholm are of the same generation, and are all at an exciting mid-career stage –each show a mature practice and mastery of their materials, yet are still driven by experimentation and evolution.

Developing the exhibition, the Flow team were inspired by how the artists’ different mediums invite contrast and comparison, whilst communicating in a similar visual language. We hope that by bringing these works together, visitors will be encouraged to contemplate how shared concepts and themes are explored in beautifully distinct ways.

Reflections

The phrase ‘Constructing Space’ refers to the artists’ ability to manipulate their materials and create the feeling of forms being continuously constructed and deconstructed. Ane Christensen, for instance, describes her work as “line drawing in space”, where material de es gravity.

Each artist pushes the possibilities of form versus absence, exploring negative space and the interaction between light and shadow. Air and light, therefore, become ephemeral “materials” across all the artists’ work.

on Space’

Thematically, all the artists also present an interpretation of geometry – whether mathematical or organic. Geometric forms emphasise a sense of ‘structure’, creating visual interest through shape, angles and a sense of balance. In their own ways, the artists enhance these spatial elements through the unique qualities of their mediums.

Interpretations of balance and fragility are further emphasised through the objects’ lack of conventional function. In itself, this challenges viewers’ preconceptions of the purpose of craft and highlights the sculptural element inherent in the exhibition’s pieces. Together, their diverse artistic practices become poetic and quietly subversive explorations of the interactions between material and space.

Ane Christensen

Ane Christensen’s work in metal transforms familiar, functional forms, quietly contemplating how a simple shape like a bowl can become a visually complex, open and delicate structure. Beginning with at sheets of metal, Christensen applies traditional techniques like hand piercing, drilling and soldering to construct her pieces. The combination of varied metals furthers her exploration of colour and texture, deepening the viewers’ experience of shapes.

“I always try and capture the fluid, loose energy of line drawing in my work, in the third dimension… I want my work to have a sense of lightness and effortlessness”

Using geometry as a starting point, Christensen departs from the original form whilst leaving enough of it to still be recognisable, as in her ‘Ghost Bowls’. For her, “The geometric element is important as it serves as contrast to more random or chaotic elements in the nal work.” Yet, the immensely controlled making process and formal qualities of each piece’s structure are counter-balanced by shadow – the unpredictable, constantly evolving element of her work. She describes how “I sometimes construct shadows in metal as a way to capture them and make them part of a piece. I hand-draw each shadow before piercing them out of sheet metal. Winter is the best time for drawing as the low sun creates beautifully dramatic and distorted shadows.”

The mysterious meeting point between form and absence, structure and shadow, creates a sense of illusion. Each piece therefore playfully challenges perception: “My work often appears weightless or as if oating, although it is in fact very heavy or precariously balanced whilst quite sturdy. I use illusion to add visual movement to my work.”

For Christensen, ‘Constructing Space’ describes a fundamental part of her practice. “I construct space within forms by cutting away part of the original sheet metal and recreating the form in open wire structures. Or I cut away a solid form until most of what is left is just space. I am always drawn to spaces between buildings more than the buildings themselves.” Despite contrasting materials and techniques, Christensen feels that all three artists’ work resonate with this concept, which when brought together will “enhance exciting parallels within our thinking and making.”

“Every piece I make is a meeting of contrasting elements within a form. The meeting point and tension between elements such as dark & light, heavy & delicate, solid & open or soft & sharp is the essence of my practice. I am never looking to create perfect balance within my work. I find pieces which are slightly awkward or off-balance more engaging and relevant.”

Heidi Hentze

“My hope is that these new Architectonic pieces will present the viewer with a bit of an “it reminds me of...” feeling, and simultaneously with a curiosity into how they were constructed.”

Heidi Hentze investigates porcelain and glaze in poetically folded pieces. Based on inspiration from architecture and kirigami, her ‘Architectonics’ collection for this exhibition challenges our perceptions of material, gravity, and classic slab techniques. Meticulously assembling paper-thin clay constructions, Hentze applies an extraordinary level of skill to slab-building – “a very precise and time-consuming process, in which I challenge the boundaries of how thin my porcelain can be without breaking.” It is a process of precision, accident and experimentation.

Developing the structure of the ‘Architectonics’ begins by intuitively cutting geometric shapes into cardboard, which are then taped together to explore the possibilities of sculptural form. These cardboard shapes become architectural ‘walls’, that are then drawn onto clay and cut out. Where this collection for Flow departs from her usual process is a new conceptual idea: using the leftover cut-offs from previous projects.

“These cut-offs revealed to me a more intuitive and unexpected composition of patterns, angles and colours. Thus, they are an architectural construction that I could not have planned with my ruler and my perfectionism. It’s a bit transgressive for me, to give up control, but also quite refreshing to work in this more playful and imperfect manner.”

This unpredictable element can bring surprises revealed only by the ring process, such as an unexpectedly pink-coloured wall from a previous project’s cut-off that she only noticed after the piece emerged from the kiln. Yet, this uncontrolled facet to her construction “added value and reference to this Architectonic”, Hentze feels; an added value only possible “in the objects that are not too re ned by my perfectionism.”

In her collection for Flow, the architectural reference points have been a touch inspired by Christensen’s “grid construction”, Hentze describes, as well as “by American houses on my trip to the states in March 2023.” The universal presence of buildings in our environments, however, encourages viewers to draw their own connections to the pieces’ forms. Through their simplicity and abstraction, the constructions evoke dream-like interpretations of buildings – at once solid and empty. The result is an atmosphere of fragile existence, where presence and absence are often the focal points of Hentze’s crisp, delicate pieces.

“It is often the mishaps that open up new paths in my work and in this manner, I constantly advance my technique. The walls in my works are a compromise between patterns, shadow play and supporting constructions.”

“All my work evolves from observations and impressions found in the Natural world: details, patterns, texture, shapes, colour nuances, combinations, found objects. In Nature you can find everything from perfection to chaos, and to find ways to express this is a never-ending source of inspiration for me.”

Trine Drivsholm

Trine Drivsholm’s work muses on nature through the possibilities of glass. Interested in the correlation between form and surface, her pieces use texture to underline shapes, and vice versa. The artworks express organic matter, whilst surfaces are tactile. She utilizes both techniques in the hot process and in the cold shop to achieve a soft surface, which lets light shine through without being completely transparent. This approach to glass enables her to master its ability to communicate light, detail and depth.

The ‘Botanical Structure’ series shown in this exhibition is inspired by the investigation of plant structures that are only visible at a microscopic level. There is an abstract reference to geometric form, through the lens of organic patterns. The pieces do not represent scienti cally accurate copies of nature and are instead Drivsholm’s “translations of what could be seen in nature”.

“In the ‘Botanical Structure’ series, I work with different shapes and rhythms of pattern to visualise the endless variation in the Natural world. The pieces appear to be light hollow structures but are made out of solid glass canes and therefore quite heavy. In ‘Decay’ and ‘Inside Out’ it is about looking at plant structures from the inside: things that appear perfect, at a closer look, could also show signs of decay. At the same time the surface is only visible on the inside of the hollow form so the piece itself is “Inside Out”.”

“Constructing Space” resonates with Drivsholm’s creative method. She re ects how: “the work is constructed out of glass canes that are fused together into larger ‘constructions’, looking like plant structures seen under a microscope”; through this, her works “uncover the inner beauty or decay of plants expressed in a poetical and abstract way.” This interest in a balance between the ‘perfect’ and the ‘imperfect’ is an inspiration she feels is shared by Christensen and Hentze.

“I emphasise the natural translucent qualities of the material but at the same time, the silky matte surface helps to define the shape of each piece. The qualities of glass as a transparent material can create illusions of softness, fluidity, lightness and transparency.”

Catalogue Text b y Alina Young

Supported b y the Danish Arts Foundation and the Embassy of Denmark in London

Introduction by Yvonna Demczynska