ABOUT
JOHAN SCHALIN, THBLKDR
Copper, silver, wax or bronze. It does not matter. I love working with materials that in themselves have a sense of adequacy and under the right circumstance the object almost creates itself.
I'm more a barrier between materials and works. My idea is often to do something simple, but the simple is deceptive.
My eager hands almost destroy the ease of thought, but in the final phase, material and man agree, intentions are erased and the piece speaks. It feels so obvious.
The works is a mix of jewellery and objects that have a recognizable, in certain aspects a generic look.
Johan Schalin was born in Stockholm 1960 and grew up just outside the city in the small town of Saltsjöbaden. He was a restless kid and had trouble finding his place. He painted and drew a lot and dreamt of becoming a painter or a sculptor. However when he finally grew up and educated himself at Beckmans College of Fashion, he chose the path of fashion design. After college he worked in both the fashion and film industries. He ran a fashion brand along with his ex-wife but after having their third son he took an employment as designer of menswear at Swedish retail fashion company, Tiger of Sweden.
Over the last years Johan has changed his path. He realized that he wanted to get closer to both materials and making.
-I’m still a designer at heart, but when I started to work with jewelry, first as a hobby then doing commissions, I felt that this was a way to come back to a more artistic practise than that of a designer behind a computer screen.
One thing lead to another and after writing his Master of Art thesis “TheHoard” at Konstfacks Craftprogram – Ädellab he is now working with his art full time.