DesignMarch | Ker / Blábreiða
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DesignMarch | Ker / Blábreiða
Kjarvalsstaðir
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Guðbjörg Káradóttir, ceramic artist, presents the work Blábreiða, which references land reclamation in Iceland. The piece is inspired by the lupine, a plant that few people feel neutral about. Some love it, others hate it, and many find themselves battling it every spring.
By the mid-20th century, the Icelandic sheep had grazed away a large part of the country’s vegetation. Vast areas of Iceland had become barren, and efforts were initiated to restore the land. Among the measures taken was the introduction of lupine seeds, which were used to stabilize the soil. At first, the seeds were sown in designated plots.
Lupine rarely grows alone; it spreads in wide blankets across the landscape. In Blábreiða, Guðbjörg attempts to recreate this impression. The work consists of hand-thrown stoneware vases with a purple glaze, their forms evoking the lupine flower.
Guðbjörg Káradóttir is a ceramic artist who designs products under the brand Ker. All Ker pieces are hand-thrown in Reykjavík by Guðbjörg herself. She primarily works with porcelain, which she mixes with volcanic ash, as well as stoneware in her artworks, drawing inspiration from the Icelandic landscape.