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.

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.”