Ninni Baeckström
Sculptor and Mosaic artist
Ninni Baeckstrom grew up in Sweden and has been part of the Charlottesville, Virginia arts community for the past 25 years, teaching and exhibiting her sculpture and mosaic work. Her public art sculptures, purchased by the city of Charlottesville and the County of Albemarle, are installed around the area, and her artwork can be found at institutions and private collections in the US and Europe.
Ninni creates her artwork at her home studio and at City Clay. She exhibits regularly at the McGuffy Art Center and participates in the Charlottesville Artisan Studio Tour.
From the Artist…
As far back as I can remember I have worked with my hands. Growing up in Sweden I learned wood-carving and knitting. Since then, my 40-year-long art journey has passed through tapestry weaving, stone-carving, building cement sculptures, wool embroidery, and mosaics.
My artwork is inspired by the inner and outer experiences of being human and being in nature. A twisted torso and the outline of a mountain ridge resonate within me and grow into an idea for a sculpture or a mosaic.
Materials inspire my process. I use cement, clay, wood, and metal in different combinations to embody my intention.
For the past two years, I have focused on a newly acquired interest in stoneware. Combining traditional techniques with my own mixed-media approach to sculpture to create original works that touch the primordial.
I follow my gut and am guided by intuition. I am continually amazed at what creations evolve in my studio.
The Process
My process starts with an impulse, a flash of an image, a gesture, or a thought. I follow the winding path ahead, making a sketch, a clay model, sorting through materials, and staying with the inner hum of the impulse, as I build an armature or cut a board for a mosaic. The cement sculptures are complex constructions of welded steel armatures, Styrofoam, and layers of cement and fiberglass tape. The mosaic is a flow of color and texture. I try to stay loose, using the materials as a guide, still listening to the original idea.
INEPE School
QUITO. EQUADOR
In 2011, I spent two weeks at the INEPE school in Quito, Ecuador. In collaboration with teachers and students at the school, we built a mural 8×5 feet out of recycled tiles.
