Maja Højgaard

Ceramicist

©Kirstine Autzen

©Maja Højgaard

©Kirstine Autzen

Smoke, sand and sculptures

Maja specialises in the smoke-firing technique
Her work is always made with elements from the places where she lives
Icelandic Margrét Jónsdóttir was one of her mentors

Maja Højgaard is inspired by the landscape that surrounds her in Denmark and by the raw nature of Iceland. She discovered Iceland in 2017, during the internship she attended with master Margrét Jónsdóttir while studying for her Bachelor of Arts in Design at the Royal Danish Academy. As her mother is a ceramicist, Maja has always had a curiosity for ceramics, but it was on a stay at Testrup Højskole, in Aarhus, that her interest really sparked. Focusing on exploring and experimenting with the materials and interested in smoke-firing, today Maja is more concerned with the process than with the finished object. She values the tactile as well as the aesthetic aspect of her ceramic pieces.

Interview

©Kirstine Autzen

©Kirstine Autzen

What is your favourite technique?: I specialise in smoke-firing, but I am constantly developing it so that each firing gets its own unique character. Among other things, I use elements from nature to create an abstract image of my surroundings.
What was the first object you made?: The first object I was proud of was a smoke-fired urn in the shape of a sphere. I like it because it recalls the moon, because it lets the mind wander into existential questions about life, death and being, and because it reminds me of how small we are in relation to the universe but, at the same time, how big life is.
Is the urn still important for you?: It is because I try to open the taboo around death by challenging the shape and concept of the urn. My own grandmother wanted to use a cookie-jar as her urn, “because it would smell nice” when she had to go in it herself, and I think that is a nice thought.
Do your surroundings have a big influence on your work?: I believe that we are shaped by the place we live as much as we shape the places we inhabit. In the last few years, I have lived in three different places in Denmark. When I was in Bornholm I used a lot of sand from the beaches on my glazed tableware as decoration; in Mors I used mo-clay; and now that I am in the middle of Jutland, I wonder around the forest and collect natural materials for my smoke-firings.

Maja Højgaard is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2015 and she started teaching in 2020