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Per Kirkeby

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Per Kirkeby

(1938 – 2018, was born in Copenhagen)

Wanås, 1994

Red Kanik brick, concrete, grave

Thanks to Finja AB, Stråbruken AB, Skooghs Bygg AB

The absent ceiling and the open archways in the short sides of the sculpture Wanås frame the sky and verdant setting, while the closed long sides surround the visitor. Per Kirkeby wrote about the sculpture that he wanted to simultaneously close off and be generous with it, creating a shielded space, but also a place to move through. Kirkeby worked in many media, including sculpture, painting, and printmaking, and he also made films and wrote poetry. In 1965, he exhibited his first brick sculpture; later, brick also arose as a motif in his paintings. It was first in the 1970s, though, that he began creating larger, architectonic brick sculptures. The early sculptures were inspired by Mayan architecture. As a material, brick creates limitations; bricks have a distinct size, but are at the same time a manageable and commonly-found module that can be laid together with other modules in endless combinations. In its surroundings at Wanås, the sculpture gains references to the architectural history of Skåne and Denmark. The Nordic countries’ oldest dated brick church, from 1191, lies in nearby Gumlösa.