Per B Sundberg

Overview

Per B Sundberg (b. 1964 Sweden, lives and works in Stockholm) has been called the great rebel of ceramics. His radically innovative and experimental attitude towards the ceramic material and its traditional techniques has been internationally noted. Sundberg’s renowned craftsmanship entails the creation of his own mix of clay, glazes and engobes in his works, infusing the historically and conceptually charged material with an organic narrative all of his own. The glazing technique often complicates the relationship between function, decoration and the object itself. His non-conformist, and sometimes provocative pieces, are characterized by absurd humour and a desire to challenge accepted norms.

Sundberg's objects are usually sculpted in stoneware and then covered with clay and glaze, whereby various tools and techniques are applied. He also sculpts objects on pre-existing porcelain figurines, often juxtaposed in groups that create specific narratives. In both these cases, the objects are then fired at different stages and temperatures as the various layers are applied.

His work has been exhibited at Magasin III Museum for Contemporary Art, Stockholm; Röhsska Museum of Design and Craft, Gothenburg; Bomuldsfabriken Kunsthall, Arendal, Norway; Gustavsbergs Konsthall, Stockholm; and Nationalmuseum, Stockholm to name a few. In 2022, Sundberg was awarded the Prins Eugen medal for outstanding artistic achievement. In 2018, he collaborated with IKEA and created a much-discussed collection.

Sundberg's works are represented in collections such as M+ Hongkong, Magasin III - Museum for Contemporary Art, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Arizona State University Art Museum, Musée des Art Décoratifs de Montréal, Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo, Buenos Aires, Röhsska Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum, London and Keramiekmuseum Princessehof, the Netherlands.

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