”Kraft” – a travelling exhibition of handcrafted glass and pottery
In connection with the artistic handcraft cooperative Blås & Knåda’s 50th anniversary, a travelling exhibition “Kraft” features the cooperative’s thirty active members. Deriving from their jubilee, the exhibition displays what the members are presently working on.
The collective spirit that prevailed when Blås & Knåda started up later faced competition from a trend that leant in a more individualistic direction but which is now witnessing a return to increasingly collective forces. At a time when cutbacks in the field of culture are more and more common, there are challenges to individual craftspeople surviving on their own – context and colleagues become increasingly important components for progress and development. The handcrafts collective Blås & Knåda has meant much for many in the field of glass and pottery in Sweden, and still does, fifty years after its inception. Many members have long been part of the collective, and four who have been members since the start are still active. New talent is added each year to the list of members.
In order to survive as a craftsperson nowadays, dynamism and force are needed. And community. This is what the Blås & Knåda members repeatedly talk about – how the dynamism and force in their community reinforce their individual artistic skills.
“Kraft” – an exhibition whose title is a play on the Swedish word kraft (force) and the English word Craft
The title also refers to the meaning of the Swedish word, which stands for energy, stamina, strength and sometimes even courage.
In a handcrafts cooperative that has existed for fifty years, there is a considerable force. A combined force from separate individuals. Collective force. Artistic force.
A broad spectrum of craftspeople participate in the exhibition – some who have been part of the cooperative since its start in 1975, some completely new and several in between. This is reflected in the diversity of the work displayed in the exhibition.