Commission for Ernst Billgren

In 2024, I worked for a period at KKAM in Höganäs when Ernst Billgren undertook his residency there in preparation for the exhibition New Memories, which was later shown at the National Museum.

I was commissioned to throw stoneware forms based on Ernst's sketches. As I worked at the potter's wheel, the forms gradually took shape, and next to me, Ernst continued the process by sculpting his characteristic motifs – fish, beetles, squirrels, and other elements drawn from nature. For three days, we shared a workshop and followed each vase from sketch to an increasingly finished work of art.

While we worked, we got to know each other through conversations about art, past projects, golf, and even which morning routines work best. It was an unusual and inspiring encounter where craft, artistic exchange, and everyday conversations blended together naturally.

It was particularly enjoyable to later see the finished stoneware vases in the exhibition New Memories at the National Museum. It was a commission that gave me both valuable experiences and a fond memory of a close collaboration with one of Sweden's most significant contemporary artists.