ABOUT THE SCULPTURE

Form is ceramicist Torbjørn Kvasbø’s interpretation of a traditional maternity jar.

Previously, it was a tradition to bring along food in a jar when visiting a woman who had just given birth. Originally, the jar was made of wood (later clay) and it had a lid, a handle, and ornamentation.

The artwork has a rustic, yet delightful expression. By poking his fingers in the wet and malleable lump of clay, Kvasbø has created a pattern and then added an extra layer of finer and lighter clay, thus giving the sculpture an almost skin-like layer on the surface.

The sculpture has been fired for days and nights in an Anagama kiln. The long firing process has left its marks as the ashes fly through the kiln, adding a layer of ash glaze on the surface of the sculpture.

Kvasnø’s intention with the sculpture is to excite thoughts and to affect the viewer “like a punch in the solar plexus”.

Torbjørn Kvasbø, Form 1999, 2000
Wood-fired stoneware, 76 x 78 x 25 cm
The CLAY Collection