Mårten Medbo

Swedish sculptor Mårten Medbo has been working with ceramics since the age of 10, forming a relationship with the material that has lasted over four decades. His highly recognizable style uses meticulously formed structures that are recognizable but almost entirely abstract. However, he rejects being strictly categorized, constantly embracing new aesthetic details and frameworks for his sculptures.
 
Educated at the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm, Medbo creates works that have a certain lifelike quality to them, though they cause the viewer to question their familiarity. They seem to come from the natural world – birds’ eggs, jaws full of teeth, physical anomalies – without any direct references.
 
Medbo produces performance pieces with ceramics, like a 2012 piece at Gustavsberg Studio commenting on life and human nature, but also the craft of ceramics. He also works with glass and concrete, and he completes large scale public sculptures as well.
 
His work was included in the 2014 New York exhibition FIRE!, curated by de Pury de Pury, a company headed by Simon de Pury and Dr. Michaela de Pury, which also included work by Sterling Ruby and Ai WeiWei. His work is included in the permanent collections of the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, and the Röhsska Museum, Gothenburg.  

Submitted by Hostler Burrows x HB381