PARIS — At his solo shows in Paris at NeC Gallery (March 18 – April 23) and at Art Paris with NeC Gallery (March 31 – April 3) Steen Ipsen exhibited three new themes, or variations on his existing themes. He presented new works in his well known Tied-Up series. He also exhibited new white Organic Works with black decorations and Black Organic sculptures. The gallery describes the different entries:
Steen Ipsen, Tied-Up 4/16, white glaze and red PVC, 62 x 50 cm. Click to see a larger image.
Click to see a larger image.
Steen Ipsen, Tied-Up 9/16, white glaze and black PVC, 59 x 29 cm. Click to see a larger image.
Tied-Up – You can recognize the way Ipsen builds up his sculptures. In the Tied Up works you see a blending of his previously used techniques and spatial relationship to take them further in their ability to speak to the viewer. These are ceramic works consisting of conjoined, simply colored spherical elements, that are subsequently tied up with strings and ropes of PVC, leather, and other materials in a continuous connecting line/pattern, resulting in an abstract and highly spatial, sculptural expression.
Organic – Throughout Ipsen’s career, he’s used his extensive collection of plaster moulds to model clay elements and then join the elements into unique sculptures. He explains: “Many years of experience with more rigorous hand modelling of objects has given me the desire to work with a spontaneous, playful, and easy freehand technique. An initial sketch of the scenario helps me to minimize the distance between the idea and the finished object.”
Steen Ipsen, Tied-Up 6/16, black glaze and black PVC, 41 x 37 cm. Click to see a larger image.
Steen Ipsen, Tied-Up 8/16, black glaze and blue PVC, 44 x 29 cm. Click to see a larger image.
Steen Ipsen, Tied-Up 7/16, black glaze and yellow PVC, 62 x 26 cm. Click to see a larger image.
Black Organic – In Steen Ipsen’s new black organic sculptures he has given himself the opportunity to make objects in monochrome black glaze where he visually affects the shape of the object. Reflections of objects outside of the work define and transform the shape.
In the future he will continue working with monochrome glazes. Many of the sculptures will be glazed in white and black.
Writing for “New Ceramics,” Noel Montrucchio had this to say about Ipsen:
“He is one of the most important ceramists of the current generation working in Denmark. Ipsen has reached a point in his career where even his most ambitious experiments and changes in direction invariably show a sure hand, an eye for potential and a profound knowledge of materials and technique. Part of that is due to his choice of the Danish School of Art and Design, where he was a student in both ceramic art and design.”
Born in 1966 in Naestved, Denmark, Ipsen lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was head of the Institute of glass and ceramics at the Royale Danish Academy, School of Design, 1996 – 2004 and he is the co-founder of Copenhagen Ceramics together with Martin Bodilsen Kaldahl and Bente Skjoettgaard.
Text (edited) and images courtesy of the gallery.
Do you love or loathe these works of contemporary ceramic art? Let us know in the comments.
Click to see a larger image.
Steen Ipsen, Tied-Up 10/16, white glaze and red PVC, 44 x 29 cm. Photographs by Ole Akhoej.
I particularly like the black glazed sculptures. They have a rhythmic simplicity.