Bjørn Friborg

Bjørn Friborg has a loud and powerful expression, an expression that is equal parts art and craftsmanship. The dramatic titles of his two series, “Implosion” and “Penetration”, have wild connotations because to Friborg, life is wild and sensuous. His glass sculptures are beautiful, roaring and seductive — transparent oval displays filled with dynamically twisted life in tantalizing colors. They are also slightly unsettling and provocative, almost like an aching tooth that you can’t stop poking at with your tongue. The sculptures make you want to stick your hand inside and touch, although that feels like it would be a transgression. Friborg feels it is important to speak loudly and clearly, to be honest and unpretentious in order to arrive at a genuine expression. His works of art are an extension of his person, of a desire to touch and penetrate deeper and seem to be explosive discharges of personal and artistic energy. He is impassioned about the creative process, during which everything has to come together in close coordination with the different makers; it is a team effort, and as demanding and disciplined as any form of elite sport. That is part of the rush: the uncertainty; that split second when the artist does not have time to think or hesitate but simply acts. Glassmaking is an extremely intimate process, emotionally speaking, and according to Friborg it is so euphoric that it compares to sex or violence. Many things can go wrong, and even if everything has gone right, all can still be lost when the kiln is opened.
Friborg is a high-energy personality. He talks so fast you catch yourself leaning forward to make sure you don’t miss anything, even during a phone conversation. His explana- tions and thought sequences often leap ahead, skipping intermediate steps, so you have to stay on your toes to fill
in the gaps. He is in a hurry, has no time to waste. In addi- tion to several projects in the works, Friborg recently took on the position of smeltery foreman at the reopened Holmegaard Værk, the renowned Danish glasswork which has been resurrected in an ambitious and fresh renovation after falling into obscurity and struggling economically for years. Now it is time for Danish glass to reclaim its former position under Friborg’s leadership — a clever appointment as Friborg is one of Scandinavia’s leading studio glassmakers, who has masters every aspect of the craft. He learned from the best, a senior, hardcore master, who took Friborg under his wing when he came to Sweden in his youth to learn the trade. Sweden has historically had a stronger glassmaking tradition than Denmark, and “Glasriket” (The Kingdom of Crystal), a town where everything revolves around glass, is a hotbed of industrial and artistic development. In addition to his training in Sweden, Friborg has also trained in Denmark and the United States and has developed an artistic practice concurrently with his work as a master craftsman. Glassmaking runs in his veins, and for Friborg, art and craft are inextricably enmeshed in the creation of sculpture that is not afraid to walk on the wild side.