“Listening to the material is a central principle in my work,” Matias Karsikas say. By combining elements of glass, wood and ceramics, the artist from Helinski takes advantage of nature’s persistence despite human intervention.
Karsikas’ botanical sculptures are somewhere between artificial and organic. As bold shades of hand-blown glass grow neatly into symmetrical petals and small pieces of baked clay protrude rhythmically to resemble disk flowers, fragments of untreated wood create a contrast that challenges the harmony between naturally occurring components of flora and fabricated representations of it.
“These works do not directly depict figures or landscapes, but instead draw inspiration from nature through textures and surfaces,” Karsikas explains. For example, more complex finishes of mottled, green tones – as seen in pieces such as ‘Jäkälä’ and ‘Sammal’ – are the result of the artist developing his own glazes to mimic surfaces similar to lichen and moss.
His first major public work, ‘Peukaloisen puutarha’, rests on the wall of a daycare center in Helsinki. The installation, translated to ‘Little Thumbling’s Garden’, features an abundance of harvests, such as decorated flowers, a bunch of berries and peas. “Playing with scale is meant to evoke memories of childhood,” says Karsikas. “It was a time when everything seemed bigger, more magical and more exciting.”
Having recently completed his first major exhibition at the Finnish Glass Museum, Karsikas is currently working on two upcoming public works of art. Follow his Instagram for updates, and see his website for more work.
