Vibeke Fonnesberg Schmidt’s (b. 1967, Denmark) creative process is fueled by numerous sources of inspiration, from natural phenomena to manmade objects and structures. Her lamps in brass and acrylic contain echoes of 1960s Italian design, French Art Nouveau, and German Bauhaus modernism. The initial spark is often intuitive, springing from an unexpected source or a lucky encounter: the chromatic palette of a film, color combinations found in the cityscape, as well as geology, plant life, and the visual arts.
A recurring interest for Fonnesberg Schmidt is geometry and its varying uses in architecture throughout history. To create her visually striking lamps, she begins with a compelling geometrical shape, which she then reiterates to construct a systematic geometric network. The next phase involves breaking up the system and its predictability by various means, for example by shifting or displacing elements, altering colors, creating overlaps, and incorporating the interplay of light. In an experimental and explorative process, she aims for a sense of harmonious disharmony, a balanced yet vibrant formal construction. Fonnesberg Schmidt creates graphic, simple, and clear works that can be seen from any angle and which invite further examination.
Fonnesberg Schmidt studied ceramics under Yoh Tanimoto in Iga, Japan, an experience which led her to pursue a degree in ceramics from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and to study at the Glasgow School of Art. Her work as a lighting designer and ceramic artist has been featured in numerous exhibitions, including at the Rörstrand Museum, Danish Architecture Center, Ceramics Museum Grimmerhus, and Kunsthal Charlottenborg, and is in the collection of the Danish Design Museum, the CLAY Museum of Ceramic Art Denmark, the New Carlsberg Foundation, and the Trapholt Museum, among others. She is the recipient of grants and awards from the Danish Art Foundation, the National Banks Jubilee Foundation, Consul Georg Jorck and Hustru Emma Jorck Foundation, King Frederik and Dronning Ingrid Foundation, the Biennale for Crafts and Design, and the Applied Art Prize of 1879.
VIBEKE FONNESBERG SCHMIDT
b. 1967, Denmark
EDUCATION
1994 Ceramic Department, The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Design, Copenhagen, Denmark
1992 Ceramic Department, Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, Scotland
1988 Ceramics Assistant to Yoh Tanimoto, Iga, Japan
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2022 The Mindcraft Project, Copenhagen, Denmark
2016In Between, Mindcraft, Circolo Filologico, Milan, Italy
In Between, Mindcraft, Designmuseum Danmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
London Design Festival with Mint Gallery, London, UK
2015Life on Mars, Dimore Gallery, Milan, Italy
Lys_objekt, Louis Poulsen and Gallery Superobjekt, Copenhagen, Denmark
Fuorisalone with Nilufar Gallery, Milan, Italy
2014Danish Design, Stilwerk, Hamburg, Germany
2013Edition One, Gallery Superobjekt at Museumsbygningen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Kun et Minut (Just a Minute), Nivaagaard Collection, Nivå, Denmark
2011Still Light, Dansk Design Center, Milan, Italy
2009Biennalen for Kunsthåndværk og Design (The Biennial for Craft and Design), Trapholt Museum of Modern Art, Craft, and Design, Kolding, Denmark
Forårsudstillingen (The Spring Exhibition), Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, Denmark
2007Biennalen for Kunsthåndværk og Design (The Biennial for Craft and Design), Trapholt Museum of Modern Art, Craft, and Design, Kolding, Denmark
2006Works: Nordiskt Konsthantverk (Works: Nordic Craft), Rörstrand Museum, Lidköping, Sweden
Puls Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
2005Konversationsstykker (Conversation Pieces), Galleri Nørby, Copenhagen, Denmark
Yellow, Danish Architecture Center, Copenhagen, Denmark
2004Biennalen for Kunsthåndværk og Design (The Biennial for Craft and Design), Trapholt Museum of Modern Art, Craft, and Design, Kolding, Denmark
2003Puls Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
2001Dansk Form (Danish Form), Architecture Museum of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Dansk Form (Danish Form), Gammel Dok, Copenhagen, Denmark
Keramiske Temaer (Ceramic Themes), Grimmerhus, Middelfart, Denmark
52nd International Competition for Contemporary Ceramic Art, Faenza, Italy
2000Efterårsudstillingen (The Autumn Exhibition), Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, Denmark
Keramik Triennalen, Trapholt, Kolding, Denmark
1999Biennalen for Kunsthåndværk og Design (The Biennial for Craft and Design), Trapholt Museum of Modern Art, Craft, and Design, Kolding, Denmark
Udstillingssted for Ny Keramik, Copenhagen, Denmark
Urban, Galerie Maronie, Kyoto, Japan
1998 Galleri Nørby, Copenhagen, Denmark
1997Biennalen for Kunsthåndværk og Design (The Biennial for Craft and Design), North Jutland Art Museum, Aalborg, Denmark
Dansk Keramik 1850–1997 (Danish Ceramics 1950–1997), Sophienholm Kunsthal, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
Urban, Biennaleprismodtagerne 1995, Design Museum Denmark
1996Forårsudstillingen (The Spring Exhibition), Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, Denmark
1995Biennalen for Kunsthåndværk og Design (The Biennial for Craft and Design), Designmuseum Danmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
Forårsudstillingen (The Spring Exhibition), Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, Denmark
AWARDS AND GRANTS
Applied Art Prize of 1879, Bronze Medal
Applied Art Prize of 1879, Silver Medal
Biennale Prize 1995, Biennale for Crafts & Design, Denmark
Consul Georg Jorck and Hustru Emma Jorck Foundation
Craftsman of the Year 2016, Design Awards, Denmark
Illum Foundation
King Frederik and Dronning Ingrid Foundation
Knud Højgaards Foundation
L.F. Foght Foundation
The Danish Art Foundation
The Danish National Bank Jubilee Foundation
Unidanmark Foundation
COLLECTIONS
CLAY Museum of Ceramic Art Denmark, Middelfart, Denmark
Designmuseum Danmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
New Carlsberg Fondation, Copenhagen, Denmark
The Danish Art Foundation, Copenhagen, Denmark
Trapholt Museum of Modern Art, Craft, and Design, Kolding, Denmark