Re-M-Embers
In the exhibition Re-M-Embers, Æsa Björk addresses themes such as memory, loss of memory, and thoughts on personal isolation.
The gallery space is filled with reflective and partially translucent glass panels, inviting the viewer to move between the different layers, staged by sound and video projections. The surroundings are fragmented and obscured, allowing us to get a glimpse of something on the other side without being able to fully understand what it is.
Æsa Björk’s art is characterized by its exploration of the human body and the interplay between internal and external realities. She often uses cast or fused glass in combination with other materials and frequently incorporates new technology into her artistic expression or its development.
Re-M-Embers is a further development of the site-specific installation Embers, which has been exhibited at “Passage at the Byre” in Scotland for the past two years, organized by Bullseye Projects USA. The installation in S12 will continue to evolve and develop throughout the exhibition period.
Æsa Björk (b. Reykjavik) studied at VSUP in Prague under Vladimir Kopecky and holds a master’s degree from the Edinburgh College of Art (1997). In 2005, she co-founded S12 Galleri og Verksted, where she currently works as an artistic advisor. Björk has taught at renowned institutions such as the School of Art and Design, Sculpture/Dimensional Studies, NYSCC Alfred University, USA (2011-2014), Konstfack in Sweden (2019, 2022, and 2023), and Pilchuck Glass School (2016 and 2019). She has participated in numerous national and international exhibitions and is part of several museum collections such as KODE in Bergen, the National Museum in Oslo, Toyama Glass Art Museum in Japan, among others. Björk has won several important awards; in 2018, she received the Grand Prize at the Toyama International Glass Exhibition, in 2020 she was awarded a 10-year working grant from Arts Council Norway, and in 2022 she received the Coburg Glass Prize for Contemporary Glass, which is Europe’s most prestigious award for contemporary glass art.