"I’m actually happiest reading manga or drinking bone broth" Meet the artist: Klara Lilja

I was introduced to artist Klara Lilja’s work in 2019. Slightly lost in Copenhagen’s Kødbyen I wandered into V1 Gallery and was led down a small spiral staircase to a room in the basement.

Upon entering I was confronted with a plethora of dazzling pastel ceramic sculptures, in various shapes and sizes. In the configuration of traditional vases, ornaments, ceramic sculptures, and what seemed to be candlesticks, these beautiful sculptures took on a slightly organic presence, although completely inorganic in their finish. With wild colours, playing on themes including the occult and biology to the more celestial nuances of myth and realism, Lilja’s work inhabits the space of otherworldliness. The exhibition I viewed, aptly named Philosopher’s Mountain, seemed to be in almost esoteric dialogue with director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s films, such as Santa Sangre (Holy Blood) and Holy Mountain.

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Klara Lilja was born and raised in the centre of Copenhagen. At an early age she knew she wanted to be an artist, dedicated and with persistence she was determined to go to art school. “I applied to The Royal Danish at 19. I didn’t get in. I applied three more times, and was accepted the fourth time, at age 24,” she tells me. During that time Lilja applied to design school as well, “I didn’t get in there either, so I applied to a less prestigious school, and later got a job at an advertising agency.”

With inspirations spanning from famed Swiss artist H.R. Giger, known for his futuristic drawings and paintings, as well as his work within special effects (he worked on all the Alien film franchise), to the more classical painter Caspar David Friedrich, Lilja has a deep appreciation for attention to detail. She also finds inspiration in other avenues, such as Wikipedia; “I start on a subject; wasps, fungi, Hungarian alchemy, then I just deep dive and click on all the links and references.”

Lilja also bookmarks a lot of images on Instagram, “tectonic plates, medieval drawings, old trees, lava – I open my Insta and scroll through until something sparks an idea, and I think, this is it! This could be a relief in clay, and then I just begin.” She is also fascinated by video games, “I use world building a lot in my practice, and no media does it better than video games. Right now, I am very into the game Death Stranding by Hideo Kojima. I’m actually happiest reading manga or drinking bone broth,” she muses.

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Lilja is currently working on a large exhibition featuring her work, along with Danish artist J.F. Willumsen and French/Danish artist Jean René Gaugain, both born in the 1800s. Willumsen and Gaugain made spectacular work in clay, and "Willumsen really pioneered the medium in Denmark," she explains.

Lilja’s work will symbolise the link into the future throughout the exhibition. Similarly, to the two other artists in the exhibition, Lilja invents her own glazes that she uses while making her clay sculptures. "All three of us work with myths, the grotesque and with animals, so that’s a theme in the exhibition as well."

The exhibition 'Between Myth and Reality', (in collaboration with the Clay Museum of Ceramic Art, Denmark), opens at the Willumsen’s Museum, Frederikssund, Denmark, on November 4, 2022, and will be on view until February 19, 2023.