Morten Klitgaard — Aragonit
ABOUT THE PROJECT:
Aragonit by glass artist Morten Klitgaard juxtaposes raw natural elements with our human disposition to control and present them through exoticism and mystery. Five sculptural glass objects appear branch-like within a solid pine wood display cabinet. Devoid of protective glass, the viewer is able to interact with the works beyond the typical boundaries of scientific display – highlighting the unique rough exterior of Klitgaard’s glass forms. The deep burnt colouring and course texture of each object is accentuated through the use of finely crushed local stone sifted onto the surface of each whilst in molten form.
Material and dimensions:
Glass, Glass Pigment, Metal Oxides, Ash, Granit, Pinewood.
120 x 30 x 147cm.
Year:
2024
PHOTOGRAPHY BY:
Benjamin Lund
LONG DESCRIPTION:
The underlying inspiration for Aragonit came through Morten Klitgaard’s study and collection of local stones from Sveneke on the Danish island of Bornholm. Drawn to the quiet complexity of these ordinary stones, Klitgaard has translated their texture and irregularity through a series of five glass objects. First presented as one element within his solo exhibition Scoria at Køppe Comtemporary Objects, Aragonit reveals his glass forms within an open cabinet of curiosities – constructed from pine wood and devoid of protective glass. This method of presentation references the display of natural specimens from early Western explorations, framing the five branch-like objects as foreign or exotic. While his work with glass reference the dimpled and knotted structure of trees and branches and is combined with locally sourced stone – Aragonit highlights a disconnect between the natural world and how we view and interact with its elements. Through the symbolism of the tree as a subject that is growing and alive, Klitgaard highlights the expressive potential of glass whilst presenting a moment of quiet introspection that calls to attention our own relationship with, and impact on our fragile natural world.
DESIGNER BIO:
Morten Kiltgaard.
Glass Artist, born 1981.
Dividing his time between a shared glass studio in the rugged and ever-changing landscape surrounding Lønstrup in Northern Jutland – equipped with much of his own glassmaking tools – and his main workspace in Copenhagen, Danish glass artist Morten Klitgaard focuses most of his practice in the cold-shop; refining and grinding finished works, and in the fusing kiln; testing materials and colour combinations. The sensory experiences of his childhood – the textures, sounds and light, reappear within a body of work that plays on our preconceived ideas of glass. Transparency has been removed, with his objects focused instead on a fusion of delicate forms juxtaposed by highly textured and rugged surface treatments. His work appears as a fragment of his own experiences within nature, whilst encouraging others to be aware of their own relationship to the environment – whether absorbed in wild nature or through poetic slices within their urban lives. His work often incorporates found objects and materials embedded into his molten glass forms, accentuating a body of work that is representative of the place and time in which Klitgaard conceptualises and creates.
EDUCATION:
2012: BA, Crafts in Glass and Ceramics, The Royal Danish Academy, Bornholm, Denmark.
GRANTS & HONOURS:
2019–2025: Working Grant, Danish Arts Foundation, Denmark.
2018–2025: Project Grant, Danish Arts Foundation, Denmark.2025 Residency, The Danish Studio for Art, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2025: Residency, Bergvig glass, Rykjavik, Iceland.
2024: Travel Grant, Danish Arts Foundation, Denmark.
2024: Working Grant, Ellen & Knud Dalhoff Larsens Foundation, Denmark.
2024: Working Grant, Grosserer L.F. Foghts Foundation, Denmark.
2024: Working Grant, National Banks Anniversary Foundation, Denmark.
2023: Working Grant, Grosserer L.F. Foghts Foundation, Denmark.
2022: Residency, Flint Institut Of Art, Flint, USA.
2022: Residency, College for Creative Studies, Detroit, USA.
2022: Working Grant, Grosserer L.F. Foghts Foundation, Denmark.
2022: Working Grant, Ellen & Knud Dalhoff Larsens Foundation, Denmark.
2021: Award, Hempel Glass Prize, Hempel Glass Museum, Nykøbing, Denmark.
2021: Working Grant, National Banks Anniversary Foundation, Denmark.
2020: Working Grant, Ellen & Knud Dalhoff Larsens Foundation, Denmark.
2018-2020: Working Grant, Grosserer L.F. Foghts Foundation, Denmark.
2019: Travel Grant, Danish Arts Foundation, Denmark.
EXHIBITIONS:
2025: Group Exhibition, Puls Contemporary Ceramics, Collectible Design, Brussels, Belgium.
2024: Group Exhibition, Danish Glass, Hobro Art Museum, Hobro, Denmark.
2024: Group Exhibition, Toyama Internationale Exhibition Of Glass, Toyama, Japan.
2023: Solo Exhibition, Scoria, Køppe Contemporary Objects, Bornholm, Denmark.
2023: Group Exhibition, International Glass Biennale, Sofia, Bulgaria.
2023: Group Exhibition, Modern Glass From Denmark, European Museum of Modern Glass, Coburg, Germany.
2022: Solo Exhibition, Hempels Glass Musseum, Holbæk, Denmark.
2022: Group Exhibition, Texture, Heller Gallery, New York, USA.
2022: Group Exhibition, Home Faber, Venice, Italy.
2021: Solo Exhibition, Perception, Køppe Contemporary Obejects, Bornholm, Denmark.
2021: Group Exhibition, European Glass Prize , The National Glass Centre, Sunderland, England.
2021: Group Exhibition, KOGEI Award, Toyama, Japan.
2020: Group Exhibition, KLEUREYCK: Jan Van Eyck’s Colours in Design, Design Museum Gent, Gent, Belgium.
2020: Group Exhibition, Venice Glass Week, The Hub, Palazzo Loredan, Venice, Italy
2019: Group Exhibition, Crafting Europe, Revelations 2019, Paris, France.
2019: Group Exhibition, In the middle of the sea – Island crafts, Åland, Finland.
2018: Group Exhibition, New Scandinavian Glass, Vessel Gallery, London, England.
COLLECTIONS:
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England.
The Danish Arts Foundation, Copenhagen, Denmark.
The New Carlsberg Foundation, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Collection Embrechts Ryckaert, Belgium.
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