Photo by: Christian Habetzeder.
Tobias Birgersson
I work as a free Artist with Arts and craft, Design and Art. I have been working with teaching at University level since 2007 for Konstfack, Ädellab and as an Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer for The University of Gothenburg HDK since 2016. I am a founding member of LOD Gallery and Atelier and Kungsholmens Täljargille.
Contact info:
Öbackavägen 15
168 39 Bromma, SWEDEN
e-mail: tobias@tobiasbirgersson.se
phone: +46 70 659 44 92
Contemporary Metal Artist & Object Maker
Material and craft used to be so important to me and to my identity. Now I tend to see the material and level of craft mastery as different colours in my box of crayons. It is both completely unimportant and so important at the same time.
Art, and probably especially craft, have a narcissistic core but loving what you do can be a powerful driving force. On the other hand, if you lack the ability to take a step back and reflect on what you have done, then you are in trouble.
Art and craft start with tradition and material. They can be mined by the contemporary maker to answer why, what, how and for whom.
How makers deal with process is up to them, as long as they do it. If all of the experimentation goes on in the realm of ideas, it is very probable that when the concept finally enters the material world it will be seriously flawed.
How to deal with the pure joy of making? Is it ever possible or okay that this might be enough for the maker, and the viewer is left to fill the object with content and context? Or would this just end up being a case of pareidolia, the mind perceiving a pattern where it doesn’t exist?
(Part of a dialogue with Damian Skinner. Read the full text here. Photos by: Christian Habetzeder.)
Represented:
2001
The Swedish National Museum.
Membership:
2007
Kungsholmens Täljargille, Stockholm.
2004
Nutida Svenskt Silver, member gallery, Stockholm.
2001–2007
Konsthantverkarna, membergallery, Stockholm.
1999–2020
LOD Metal, atelier and gallery, Stockholm.
Education:
1999–2001
Master of Fine Arts, metallformgivning, Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design, Stockholm.
Awards:
2004
Unga Konsthantverkare 2004, stipendium, Bengt Julins Fond, National museum.
2003
The Swedish Arts Grants Committee, two year working grant.
Curator of:
2020
Metal endeavours International Meta Exhibition, Gallery Sebastian Schildt, Stockholm, SWE
2018
HDK Steneby GBG Design Week Högskolan för Design och Konsthantverk, SWE
Adi Toch-Shifting space Israel/GB Gallery LOD, SWE
Forge Form Fabricate Southern University of Illinois Museum. USA
Metall+Metall Steneby Art Hall, SWE
Äta Korpus Karolina Hägg, Gallery LOD, SWE
2017
WHATNOT Myra Mimlitsch Gray/US Gallery LOD SWE
Latest solo:
2021
Body, Contained, Galleri Sebastian Schildt, Stockholm, SWE
2019
Atrium Gallery, Vida Museum, Öland, SWE
2009
Sensual, Gallery Nutida Svenskt Silver
Group Exhibitions by selection:
2021
“Dressed Up” Galleri Sebastian Schildt, Stockholm, SWE
“The Fourth Dimention” Not Quite, Holländeriet, Fengersfors, SWE
“Body, Contained” Photo collaboration and Original Prints with Christian Habetzeder.
2020
“Uncommon Element” Gallery Konsthantverkarna, Stockholm, SWE
“Quarantena” Gallery Sebastian Schildt, Stockholm, SWE
“Sharing is Caring” Orangery, The English Garden Munich, GER
2019
“LOD 20 Years” VIDA Museum, SWE.
“ANIMATE” a SCALE collective exhibition at NotQuite Fengersfors, SWE
“Steneby-Metal+Metal”, During “Ferrous 2019”, PopUp Gallery, Hereford, England
“International Craft Fair” exhibition, Munic, Germany
2018
“Konst&Design” TÄBY Kulturcentrum, Karby Gård SWE
“Tenthaus Winter Depot” Galleri BOX.Gothenburg SWE
“Spoons” Galerie Rosemarie Jäger. Gemany
“Kolbermoor”Germany
“Tillverkat Här” Galleri LOD. SWE
2017
“Faculty” Surplus Gallery, Illinois, US
“Corpus Maximus” Gallery Sebastian Schildt Stockholm.
“Ring” Gallery Nutida Svenskt Silver
“Preziosa” Botticelli Gallery, Florence, Italy.
2016
Schoonhooven Silver award, Schoonhoven silvermuseum, Netherlands.
“Nutida C/O Rolfs kök. Stockholm.
”Photoboth” Kulturnatt Stockholm.
2015
“Answering Pravu” Munich
Svenskt Tenn “Nutida” Stockholm, Sweden.
Gallery “Nivå 125” Båstad & Vida Museum, Öland Sweden.
2014
LOD Fifteen-year anniversary, Örnsköldsvik Art hall, Sweden.
Public Art Commission:
2021
“Bon för stora småvarelser” Gothenburg, Sweden, with Simon Westling.
2018
“Divider”Kalmar, Sweden, with Päivi Ernqvist.
“Toolness of things II” Ohrdruf, Germany.
2018
“Divider” Kalmar, Sweden, with Päivi Ernqvist.
“Toolness of things II” Ohrdruf, Germany.
2016
“Pathfinder” Stockholm Art, Sweden, MICASA Six Walkways.
Artist in Residency:
2018
AIR at Tobiashammer Techniches Denkmahl Ohrdruf. Germany
2017
SIU Carbondale Illinois US Metallsdepartment residency.
Ongoing Collaborations:
“Sharing is Caring” Publication with other artists.
“Toolness of things 1” Verbal nonverbal project with Art Historian Damian Skinner.
“Feed the Beast” Photo collaboration with Christian Habetzeder.
Latest Publication:
2021
LOD Metallformgivning – verkstad, butik, galleri & mötesplats.
ISBN: 978-91-519-0745-1
Publisher: Ateljé Habetzeder AB
2019
Answering Pravu. Seven corpus artists and a philosopher.
ISBN: 978-91-519-0744-4 Öppna boken som PDF.
Publisher: Ateljé Habetzeder AB
2017
Forge ”15 ways of Thinking About a Blacksmith“ together with Damian Skinner.
ISBN: 978-0-9561136-3-4