About me

Rikke Munkholm Laursen grew up in Denmark and has been living for more than twenty years in Tuscany. Coming from an artistic background in drawing and painting, she became inspired by the earth and clay, so abundant in the powerful Tuscan landscape. With these natural materials she combines the beauty and the essence of both Scandinavian and Italian cultures: the simplicity of the North, which is reflected in the forms she creates, is complemented by warm richness of Italian materials. Chiaroscuro, or the effect of light on an object, plays an important role.

Her two areas of interest, Terra Cotta – kiln fired clay and Terra Cruda – raw earth, are both inspired by Italy´s rich cultural and figurative artistic history. The Terra Cotta objects are created to be graceful, poetic contributions to the environments in which they are placed. A passion for working with Terra Cruda arose from discovering the many possibilities that working with this ancient building material offers.

Rikke profoundly believes in the power of positive energy and good intensions in each of us. Her ´Terra Cruda´ faces have a certain abstraction, which allows everyone to recognise themselves in them and, more importantly, to feel inter-connected with the natural eco-system of which we are all part.

The notion of time and the need to find peace in our hearts are both expressed in her work. By combining ‘here and there’ and ‘now and later’, she strives to resolve these tensions harmoniously in a single object.

She is currently experimenting with Sabbia – sand, as the third material in her work. The projects are getting bigger and more site-specific. They become an integral part of an ever-changing landscape for a restricted time. This transitory quality adds a new, extra poetic layer – the temporary objects seem to appear and then disappear almost before you can experience them consciously.

The sand projects are a collaboration with the Dutch
landartist Bruno Doedens (www.brunodoedens.nl).