Stig Persson – The Constructivist

Stig Persson works with a strictly abstract constructivist and minimalist expression in his glass works, which occasionally contains reminiscences of identifiable sur- roundings. The experience af the individual work rests on repetition, i.e. repeated shapes of circles, squares, rectangles, or cylinders. Whether the shapes are made flat or plastically cast, they are always defined within a strictly geometric framework of constellations of these basic shapes, often placed inside one another.

All surfaces are matt conveying a feeling of gravity which, in reality, is true of each form, and the figures are vaguely translucent. The glass material is slightly hetero- geneous with small bubbles and irregularities. The numbers, colours and sizes of the elements vary, effectively creating a sense of movement from block to block. His minimalist sculptures are initially created as sketches, after which a prototype is built in EPS. He then creates the mold from a special casting mix called HydroCast. Each mold can only be used once. The mold is created on the EPS to preserve the textured surface and the actual firing of the glass elements lasts 12-13 days in the glass kiln. The elements are finished, trimmed and polished, to be assembled into the final work. It is a slow process, which is why it is not possible to create more than a few works per month.

His works are solid cast glass, and yet the material is fragile. This wonderful, complex contrast reinforces the constructivist and abstract expression that has been a common thread throughout Stig’s 30-year career. His works have been acquired by Albert & Victoria, London, and Hempel Glasmuseum, Denmark, among others, and in 2022 his works have also been added to the collections of The Veste Coburg Art Collections at the European Museum for Modern Glass in Germany, National Nordic Museum in Seattle and The Lowe Art Museum in Miami.