Fredrik Nielsen (born in 1977) is often described as a rebel. His anarchic and monumental carafes and trophies have established him as one of the leading innovators in the world of contemporary glass art. His extraordinary technique uses glass as material, glue and canvas. Old glass sculptures are reheated and integrated into new works.
Like a painter, he adds different layers, creating new visual effects and shaping powerful new glass forms with chaotic contours. His works feature cracks, transparency, opacity, smooth and rough surfaces. Post-production, a sculpture may be spray painted or visit a garage for a coat of metallic paint. Music, graffiti and pop culture are the main inspirations behind his creative process and pink messages are one of his signatures.
Sometimes, these take the form of garish punk neon lights, at other times, his phone number is graffitied on the plinth, the walls, the floor or even on the work itself. Fredrik Nielsen’s raw energy is expressed in a wide range of fields.
He trained at the National School of Glass in Orrefors and at the Royal Institute of Art in Sweden as well as at the legendary Pilchuck Glass School in the United States. He lives and works in Stockholm and exhibits his work in Sweden and internationally. In addition to his own practice, Fredrik manages The Garage Stockholm, one of the independent workshops that have contributed to the revival of Swedish glassmaking. He has received many public commissions and his work features in such prestigious collections as those of the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, the Corning Museum of Glass in New York and the Musée Ariana in Geneva. He enjoys a longstanding relationship with the Wetterling Gallery in Stockholm.