Elisabeth Von Krogh. Retrospective / Prospective: Ceramics 1972–2024

The pieces by Elisabeth von Krogh (b. 1947) are not only playful and colourful but also serious and complex; it is this ambiguity that gives her work its distinctive character. It might come as a surprise, then, that the foundation of this outstanding approach to contemporary ceramics remains the vessel. Yet this is not just because von Krogh’s artistic work has its roots in functional ceramics; rather, she sees the vessel as an archetypical and sculptural form, which as a container and a symbol fascinates and inspires, as she explains.

At first, she also produced vases, bowls and plates – from a utilitarian aspect. But gradually von Krogh focused her attention elsewhere and instead brought the development of the form as a whole centre stage. She explored the flowing transition from vessel to sculpture in ever new ways. In doing so she concentrated on various themes including the sea and the earth. With their interplay of colours and forms, the ceramics are at times reminiscent of fantastical creatures. Particularly well known are the large mostly flat vessels that act as optical illusions of themselves – not least as a result of the decorative structure of the glazes.

The publication looks back in six sections on works from five decades, including from more recent times. The images provide a comprehensive overview of the development of forms, colours and ideas in the artist’s work. Documentation of the exhibition allows us access to von Krogh’s works in the context of the museum, while design elements from the show are reflected in the book’s colour concept. The essays by Ida Bringedal and Kjersti Solbakken grant insights into the artist’s creations, offering a tangible sense of her artistic development.

This journey begins in the present and travels ever further back into the past. This first in-depth monograph on Elisabeth von Krogh reveals, as the title suggests, both a retrospective of the past five decades and an oeuvre of prospective utopian spaces in a diverse play on forms.