Culture
Human-sized ceramic hares
“Silent Conversation”, (2019) overlooks a Bruno Mathsson sheepskin-covered lounge chair. A Gustavian cabinet, circa 1780, sits elegantly in the background.
Image courtesy of: Architectural Digest
The Swedish artist, Margit Brundin, recently unveiled ten ceramic, human-size hares at Dienst + Dotter Antikviteter in New York. Not surprisingly, these anthropomorphic sculptures have managed to eerily take up residence at the gallery!
Detail View.
Image courtesy of: Margit Brundin
Brundin has been fascinated with animals since she was twelve. At a young age, Brundin’s mother passed away and a family friend gave her a horse. She says, “I grew up in the countryside, with lots of animals around me. This horse became my therapist- there was a wordless relationship between us that affected me and what I do now. “
“Lean on Me”, 2018, from the exhibition “Behind the Oak Tree”.
Image courtesy of: 1st Dibs
It is emotions that make Brundin’s hares so haunting. A favorite is “Lean on Me”, where the viewers watch the two animals leaning against each other. The female hare has a more serious expression while her male counterpart stares off into space. Whether the two are supporting each other through a rough time or just spending some quiet time together, their human-like expressions and qualities are striking!
Margit Brundin and her hares in preparation for her first United States exhibition at Dienst + Dotter Antikviteter.
Image courtesy of: Margit Brundin, Photograph by Andreas Paulsson
Before she became a sculptor, Brundin spent eight years at art school in Sweden. Somehow though, she always ended up at the ceramics studio. She recalls that clay is “a beautiful material- heavy and fragile at the same time.”
Brudin’s figurative sculptures are made by building up coils of clay and incising the surface so that it represents fur. Giving her hares human characteristics and expressions, she manages to make the hare the story’s narrator.
As to why Dienst offered Brudin an opportunity to exhibit in the U.S., “I fell in love with her work- and with her, which is important. She and I both love and are fascinated by animals. Animals were her confidants, playmates and friends. She’s emotionally invested in her work.”
“Sit Beside Me”, 2018. The precocious hare sits elegantly with a gorgeous Swedish Baroque cabinet in the background.
Image courtesy of: Architectural Digest
Hopefully, this New York City exhibition will bring some much deserved acclaim to the sculptor. Even though she is well known in her home country of Sweden, she is mostly unfamiliar to international audiences.
Until recently, Brudin had to rely on government grants and part time jobs to earn a living. Luckily, it was through her job as a dresser at the Malmo opera house that she met two dancers who were friends of Dienst. The dancers told the gallery co-owner that she needed to see Brudin’s work in person. Two years later, Dienst visited the studio and immediately offered the sculptor her first U.S. exhibition.
“Falla i Gränslandet”, 2016
The flying hare hangs above a seating arrangement made up of an 18th-century Ephraim Ståhl sofa and a 1950 Carl Malmsten armchair.
Image courtesy of: Architectural Digest
It was a natural connection that caused Jill Dienst to invite Brudin’s human-size hares to inhabit her gallery. Dienst specialized in Swedish art, having previously worked in the European Painting Department of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. For most of her career, she has specialized in objects, works, and antiques from Scandinavia.
Placed amidst the beautifully curated Scandinavian pieces from the 17th through the mid-20th centuries, the ten ceramic hares seamlessly intermingle with the galleries treasures. What a treat!
