Ulrika Barr

My artistic work with glass moves between the fragile and the rough. By combining blown glass and sand-cast glass, I create contrasts, where the sand breaks the perfection of the glass and gives it a rawer, more grounded feel.

Glass is the primary material in my artistic practice, and I have worked with the craft of making as a rehabilitative method, while also exploring the role of glass as an emotional carrier. I have considered whether glass can act as a catalyst to change and influence an atmosphere.

The alchemical symbolism of transformation and my fascination with the transformation of materials drive my creation. In the Ouroboros series I explore the eternal cycle and transformation through form and color, where the works burst, grow and are reborn – like the snake eating its own tail. My expression in glass often takes on bulging, fleshy forms, where the body’s inner and outer presence is found in my abstract expressions.

I work with both rough and smooth surfaces to create a dynamic between the fine and the raw. For me, creation is about embracing the process, opening up to chance and at the same time making conscious choices. The synergy between object and subject is the core of my work, where emotions, moods and the experience itself are conveyed through the glass.