Bornholm Art Museum
Ceramicist Christina Schou Christensen lives and works from the small Danish island of Bornholm. “It’s a place that holds a long history of ceramic production,” she tells trobat. After spending years in Copenhagen, Christensen realised her true passion lay in ceramic artwork, and she returned to Bornholm to pursue it. “It was the best decision of my life,” she says. Christensen’s works display an artful whimsicality, using colour and texture to give the appearance of “dripping” and “leaking” receptacles.
I work in the field of ceramics—clay and glazes, and what lies in between. I was born and raised on the island of Bornholm, which is the only place in Denmark to have stoneware clay, porcelain (kaolin) and granite in the ground. It’s a place that holds a long history of ceramic production, from 100-year-old factories to studio potters that are still working today. As a child I was exposed to a lot of amazing work done by the local studio potters, and that made a great impression on me and made me dream of doing ceramics myself.
At an early age I knew that ceramics was something I wanted to do. But I didn’t have the courage to follow my dreams. I went the ordinary way with education: good job, good money. But in my thirties I realized that now I had to do something about this dream. So I enrolled in the school of glass and ceramics in Bornholm, and it was the best decision ever in my life. Ever since I have worked within the field of ceramics. Exhibiting, experimenting and also teaching.
Bente Skjøttgaard, a Danish ceramicist, is my all time favorite. She showed me how glazes can be part of the actual form of a piece. And of course Takuro Kuwata, who is also doing amazing things with the ceramic glaze.
I recently moved back to the island, after many years in Copenhagen. And now I have plenty of space in the industrial fisherman harbour in Nexø. I love to have my own space, own kilns, machines, and possibilities for doing courses.
So this would actually be all the friends and family that I have – and that I now live away from, since most of them are still in Copenhagen. So no fancy dreams of famous people. I would love to invite them for a huge party with all the best food you can dream of.
The latest book I read is by the Danish author Glenn Bech, how much social separation issues we still have in Denmark, even though we think we are so equal in this country, we are not.
Some sort of creative idea developer, graphic designer, counselor, or a doctor.
I’m not so much into astrology, but I am a Scorpio, and from what I read about Scorpios some stuff makes sense, and a lot doesn’t.
Photo credit: Bo Johannsen
