Bjørn Friborg

Interviews by Brainard Carey

Bjørn Friborg by Joe Kramm Bjørn Friborg (Danish, b. 1983) is a glass artist who defies historical methods of making and reinvents process with a dramatically physical approach that pushes the limits of material and technique. His practice is as much performance as a functional act; with unbridled intensity he pierces, ruptures, and manipulates the molten substance with results that are otherworldly, his tour de force actions viscerally reflected in the transformed material. Friborg’s innovative approach is directly linked to his current position as the hot shop manager at Holmegaard Værk, Denmark’s leading glass factory which has been resurrected to develop the practice of contemporary glassmaking both in Denmark and internationally. Friborg received a BFA from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts School of Architecture, Design and Conservation in 2013 after studying in Sweden at both the Åfors Glasbruk, V.1 Mästare Ingvar Carlsson “Kalle Pack” and the Kosta Glass School. His work has been exhibited throughout Scandinavia and internationally. Installation view of Bjørn Friborg: Imploded, Photo by Joe Kramm Installation view of Bjørn Friborg: Imploded, Photo by Joe Kramm Bjørn Friborg, Implosion, 2023, Hand-blown glass 18" Dia. x 7” D, Photo by Joe Kramm