Æsa BjörkIceland / Norway

By combining cross disciplinary investigation and experimentation (philosophy, science, and music), Æsa Björk considers questions related to human existence and phenomenon connected to the body and personal borders.

Born in Reykjavik, Iceland, Björk studied at the Glass Department of Edinburgh College of Art, Scotland, from where she graduated with a 1stclass BA (Hons) degree in 1995 and an MA in 1997. In 2006 she was an Artist in Residence at the Corning Museum of Glass (NY), and attended the Pilchuck Glass School (Washington) as an Emerging Artist in Residence (1999) as well as instructor (2016 and 2019). Her work has been shown internationally and she has received numerous grants among them a 5 years’ working grant from the Norwegian Ministry of Culture (2015-2019). She has had several public art commissions in Norway where she co-founded the open access gallery and workshop “S12” in 2007. From 2011-2014 she held a 3-year position as a visiting artist and faculty member at the School of Art and Design, Alfred University.

Björk often focuses on the different layers of experience and meaning, exposing inside and outside of human existence and its inherent duality as well as juxtaposing the viewer and the viewed in its exploration of time and the act of viewing. Glass has played an important role in Björk’s artistic output with its inherent qualities of fragility and strength as well as its ability to juxtapose inner and outer aspects simultaniously along with the many layers in between. The Artist currently works and lives in Bergen Norway.