A new art exhibition by contemporary Danish ceramicist Marianne Steenholdt-Bork celebrates its North American debut at the Elverhøj Museum of History & Art in Solvang and is on view now until October 14. The exhibition entitled The lion must be happyis a traveling exhibition sponsored by the National Foundation of Danish America and the Scan Design Foundation. Bork’s work has been shown in numerous exhibitions both nationally and internationally.
On her Instagram account, Bork announced: “The National Foundation for Danish America has asked me to do a tour that will last two to three years. My 25 artworks will be exhibited in eight different locations in the US, starting in the Danish colony of Solvang, California, and ending in Chicago, Illinois. I only exhibit narrative and fabulous ceramics, where animals are a common motif. I work on these motifs well in advance, for example lions, owls and foxes. I also plan to create some completely new motifs that tell of the idea of emigrating to America. For this, I have found some typical American icons that I incorporate into the figures – for example Rosie the Riveter, the strong female icon from World War II. And then of course the Indians and cowboys.”
She will be giving an artist lecture at a Danish-American cultural center in Yorba Linda, California. Bork’s usual central theme is the “lion” (also known as Filihankat), which appears in her art in different shapes and forms. Her artist biography states that the symbolism comes from her childhood and her exposure to lion imagery. Each piece is unique and handmade. Some of the pieces have gold accents. Bork has been awarded the Fletcher Challenge Award from New Zealand and the Danish Kunsthaandvaerker Prisen from 1879.
411: www.elverhoj.org
www.instagram.com/marianne_steenholdt_bork
