Author name: Odalisque

Evelina Kroon: A Modern Revival of the Rya Rug text Ulrika Lindqvist With her precise yet playful approach to color and form, Evelina Kroon brings new life to one of Scandinavia’s oldest crafts. In collaboration with Layered, she reinterprets the traditional rya rug, transforming a functional textile into a tactile piece of contemporary art. Ulrika Lindqvist: Can you tell us how long you’ve been working as an artist, and what first inspired you to pursue a career in this field? Evelina Kroon: I’ve somehow been involved in art for as long as I can remember. I started attending art school as a kid, mostly because my parents encouraged it early on, and over time it just became a natural part of who I am, what I’ve studied and what I do. It hasn’t been a perfectly straight path. There have been detours and periods of uncertainty.  But art has always been the one thing I’ve felt truly connected to, and the thing I know best? Since then, it’s been a mix of dedication and a few lucky opportunities that have allowed me to keep working. Every step, whether planned or unexpected, has shaped how I see my practice today. UL: This collection focuses on the rya rug, a craft with roots in 13th-century Norway. What drew you to center the collection around this traditional technique, and did it present any creative challenges? EK: The idea actually came from Layered, but I’ve always been a fan of rya rugs, both for their comfort and their aesthetic. There’s something about that texture and warmth and they are timeless. Rya has such an interesting history: originally made in 13th-century Norway as functional bed covers, woven with long wool piles for insulation against the cold. Over time, they evolved into richly patterned decorative textiles, combining practicality with artistry which I find very inspiring. So while the starting point wasn’t entirely mine, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to explore this craft further. And honestly, I think it’s about time for a dignified comeback of this iconic dust collector, don’t you? UL: I absolutely do! Could you walk us through your creative process? Do you have any routines or rituals that help spark inspiration? EK: I have a specific method, it’s a ritual in itself. Within that structure, I allow myself a lot of freedom. It’s strict, but I’ve learned it over time. I work with grid patterns as a tool, always subordinated to color, focusing on frequency, spacing, filling, and layering. Talking about inspiration is tricky for me. It’s everywhere, really. In words, in pauses, in both the beautiful and the ugly. It’s less a single moment and more a constant presence that informs my work. photography Andy Liffner  UL: Are there any particular projects or moments in your career that stand out as especially memorable? EK: There are definitely memorable moments, even if I don’t always notice them at the time. Everything feels connected, and I’m just grateful to keep creating.  Every project, big or small, shapes my practice in its own way UL: How does working with textiles and furniture differ from creating on canvas or with tape? EK: It’s mainly about scale and material, of course. Working with textiles and furniture allows me to lighten and translate my work into something more accessible. Just turning it into an everyday object that people can interact with in a different way, that’s something else.  UL: You’ve collaborated with Layered before, what feels different about this partnership, and how was it to continue working together? EK: Layered was one of my first collaborations, and it’s always felt like a safe and inspiring space. For me, it’s really the people working there that make me keep coming back. We’ve found a way of working that just works, so why not continue? UL: How did you choose the location for the campaign shoot? EK: We felt it was a perfect, beautiful contrast — exactly the kind of balance I like to aim for. UL: And finally, what are you most looking forward to in 2026? EK: December. When I finally see what it all turned out to be. And after that, I hope it can start over again and again.

The Art of the Meal: A Dialogue in Glass and Culture text Ulrika Lindqvist When artist and author Charlotte Birnbaum joins forces with renowned glass designer Erika Lagerbielke, the result is Måltidens teater – glas för alla sinnen, an exhibition that turns the meal itself into a multisensory performance. United by a shared fascination for food as art, the two explore the table as a stage for creativity, craftsmanship, and conversation. photography Michelle Meadows Ulrika Lindqvist:  Could you tell us a bit about how the idea for this collaboration came about? Charlotte Birnbaum & Erika Lagerbielke: We have meet through our work in the organizations The Swedish Academy of Meal science and the Swedish Academy of Gastronomy. We have found that we share a passion for meals as an expression of culture and art, and that we shared an interest exploring these events through our artistic work.   UL: Charlotte, how would you say the process of working on this collection and exhibition differs from your work as an author and artist? CH: It has been a wonderful experience for me to work in dialog with an important artist who really has a much deeper understanding of the world of glass than me. I am more of an assemblage artist who selects already existing components. I work with glass objects as readymades. But I think that we share a certain esthetic sensibility, in spite of our very different approaches. We have collaborated on the display of our works, so the exhibition itself really is a collaborative effort. It’s the first time I try something like this, but hopefully not the last.     UL: What were the biggest challenges you faced during this project? EL:  I gave myself the challenge to find a new expression for “living glass”. I wanted to capture light and a way to express flow. It took some experimenting in close cooperation with the skilled glass blowers at Kosta glassworks before we finally were successful in developing a new method that worked. I have used the new technique in the series Wild Optics, which will be shown for the first time in our exhibition at Galleri Glas.   UL: Charlotte, in your opinion, what are the most important elements of a well-set table? CB: I have always viewed the table as a kind of exhibition format. That is what I have written about since many years. I edit a book series called On the Table. These publications explore interesting encounters between art and food. Most of my examples are historical. I have written about baroque napkin folding and about the art of the banquet at renaissance courts. These are of course quite extravagant examples but in fact every set table is an exhibition. In that sense most of us are curators.   UL: How did your approach to this collection differ from how you usually work on your other projects?  Could you walk us through the process of creating the collection? EL:  The biggest difference is that we are two artists working together when creating the exhibition. Having had the good fortune to work with such an interesting and accomplished artist as Charlotte has added a lot of inspiration to my work. We had several creative conversations, also over enjoyable meals, where we developed the concept, “Måltidens teater – glas för alla sinnen”, as well as our key words and a colour scheme. Since we use completely different techniques creating our artwork, we then continued our own. We have continuously supported each other in the creative processes and kept each other informed regarding successes and obstacles. It has been very smooth. photography Stefan Pohl

Lars Nilsson – Botanical Stripes text Jahwanna Berglund  photography Harrison Wakley Carling Dalenson Gallery, 19 November–17 December 2025 In his latest exhibition Botanical Stripes at Carling Dalenson, Lars Nilsson invites us into a world where memory, craft, and cultivated nature intertwine. Known to many for his decades-long career in haute couture working for houses such as Chanel, Dior, Lacroix, and Ricci, Nilsson has in recent years turned his gaze homeward. From his studio in Rättvik in Dalarna, he continues to refine his language of form, translating fashion’s discipline and attention to detail into objects that breathe with tactile intimacy. The exhibition unfolds through watercolor collages and sculptural candleholders, each piece resonating with the artist’s fascination for structure within apparent spontaneity of what he calls the “organized chaos” of English gardens. Inspired by the 17th-century topiary landscape of Levens Hall, Nilsson explores how nature’s geometry and human touch coexist. His collages evoke the depth of Dutch still-life painting: floral compositions emerging from shadow, delicate yet deliberate. In The Pottery Floor, a work referencing Villa San Michele in Capri, patterned stones are reimagined as rhythmic, almost textile motifs currently being translated into a woven tapestry at the Alice Lund studio in Borlänge. photography Andreas Zetterqvist Stripes, a motif that has followed Nilsson from his couture days run like a quiet pulse throughout the exhibition. In the candleholders, the pattern materializes in tactile contrasts: oak against wool, porphyry beside glass, bronze next to ceramic. All materials are locally sourced, assembled in collaboration with craftspeople across Sweden, from Nittsjö ceramics and Bergdala glassworks to Morell’s metal foundry. These sculptures stand as both domestic objects and miniature landscapes, echoes of the Dalarna forests and English gardens that shaped Nilsson’s imagination. In Botanical Stripes, Nilsson continues a conversation between craft and couture, between discipline and instinct. The result is a body of work that feels both rooted and fluid, quietly celebrating the persistence of beauty in the handmade.