Since Danish sculptor Carl Emil Jacobsen (b. 1987) graduated from Kolding School of Design in 2012, his practice has oscillated between art and design, revolving around existentialism, ritualistic sophistication and solid craftsmanship. Working with found materials such as bricks from demolished buildings, he brings new life to powdered stone, converting it into layers of natural colored pigment. His nonfigurative sculptures stand on their own terms, fostering experiential connection over intellectual interference. Jacobsen’s works has been exhibited at The Curio – Chart Art Fair and The Spring Exhibition at Kunsthal Charlottenborg in Copenhagen, with Galerie Maria Wettergren, at Piscine in Aarhus and elsewhere.

With almost ritualistic attention to detail and painstaking craftsmanship, Carl Emil Jacobsen creates abstract aesthetic objects that hold an insistent sensuous appeal. His sculptural artworks explore the integrity and textural qualities of raw materials with roots in nature. His process is driven by a curiosity about form and material qualities. He often works on multiple simultaneous processes based on drawings/sketches as well as more intuitive approaches such as material experiments, revised craft techniques or attempts at conveying material sensations. His recent work has involved a special emphasis on colour/light/shadow and the ability of an object to enhance the experience of a colour.

His most important sources of inspiration are nature – including field trips in the landscape and studies of raw mineral colours, buildings and machine components –and the works of other artists.

Education and practice

2013 to date: Head of workshop and teacher, Design School Kolding
2012: MA, Industrial design, Design School Kolding

Selected collaborations

2016 to date: represented by Galerie Maria Wettergren, Paris

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2019 – Ceramic Momentum, group exhibition, CLAY, Museum of Ceramic Art, DK
– Weathered, solo show, Mark Kenly Domino Tan Showroom, København, DK
2018 – Don’t Know What Shape I’m In, solo show, Patrick Parrish Gallery, NYC, USA
– About Clay, group exhibition, Fiskars, FIN
– MINDCRAFT18, group exhibition, Il Salone, Milano, IT
– Cirklens Geometri, group exhibition, Antikmuseet, Aarhus, DK
2017 – New Danish Modern, group exhibition, O-space, Aarhus, DK
– Terrain, solo show, Galerie Maria Wettergren, Paris, F
– MINDCRAFT17, group exhibition, Il Salone, Milano, IT
– Domestic Appeal, part III, group exhibition, Chamber Gallery New York, USA
2016 – The CURIO, CHART Art Fair, group exhibition, Charlottenborg, København, DK
– Forårsudstillingen, group exhibition, København, DK
2015 – Tilsigtede sammensætninger (i utilsigtede optrædener), solo show, Piscine, Aarhus, DK

SELECTED GRANTS AND HONOURS
2018 – Danish Arts Foundation, project grant
– Danmarks Nationalbank’s Anniversary Foundation of 1968
2017 – Danish Arts Foundation, working grant
2016 – Danish Arts Foundation, project grant

SELECTED COLLECTIONS
– Danish Arts Foundation, Copenhagen

Photo: Enok Holsegaard / Copyright Carl Emil Jacobsen