Malene Kastalje

DINAMARCA
 

Malene Kastalje is a jewellery artist, based in Copenhagen, Denmark. She studied at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts - School of Design completing an MA in experimental furniture and sculpture. The artist is represented at The Danish State Art Foundation Jewellery Collection, Trapholt Museum of Fine Art and has received several fundings. Malene is a sensible explorer investigating her surroundings, letting the silicone absorb whatever she goes through.

Statement

 

As a child I used to go to the old villa next door, left there to crumble years before. I found mouldy newspapers behind the flowery wallpaper, big fungi were growing in the moist corners. The once so majestic staircase in the hallway, had fallen apart and the wooden floors had holes enabling me to climb down in the dark cellar. I often lost track of time in this quiet house full of lived lives.

 

The house is not there anymore. But the moods and impressions it left, have been kept inside me ever since. I am still exploring my surroundings. I swim through long seaweed and go to the nearby woods picking up growths. I am drawn to remote areas in which I like to get lost and find discarded items from the past. These sensible and contemplative explorations of nature, have become an important part of the way I work, and is reflected in the particular processes of making my pieces.

 

I use many different materials, including precious metals, but have been working mainly with silicone for a while now. For me the silicone functions as a raw plastically material, with organic abilities to absorb feelings and stories. I develop new techniques in order to manipulate the silicone to get a connection to my longings and desires, my repulsions and fears. I seek to work intuitively through the whole process to allow the pieces to astonish me, when finished.