The Queue: Jo Andersson
The Queue: Jo Andersson
The Queue: Jo Andersson
Jo Andersson. Photo by Sarah Maria Yasdani.
Jo Andersson’s mesmerizing glass sculptures are imbued with light and energy.
Jo Andersson came to glassblowing to heal. After early traumatic experiences, American-born Swedish artist Jo Andersson started working with glass, drawn by the intense concentration required by the medium. “What glassblowing did for me was help me come into the now, which is one of the most healing things that you can do for trauma,” she says. “If you’re not present, you lose the glass piece.” Andersson’s recent work reflects this presence and energy: her glass Light Vessels are bulbous and irregular with dents, bumps, and divots. When they are filled with water and lit by an external light source, the reflections, shadows, and refractions surprise and delight viewers. Funkylicious, a new series of decorative sculptures, comprises one-of-a-kind colorful, jellyfish-esque blown-glass sculptures. Andersson is also developing lighting in neon. Jon Spayde wrote about her work and its unique healing and calming properties in “Craft That Calms” in the Spring 2024 issue of American Craft.
How do you describe your work or practice in 50 words or less?
My practice is personal and intuitive. In the past, I have used making as a form of therapy to reconnect with myself and the present moment. Now I would say that making is just fun for me. I get to let go and just “be,” have fun, be silly. My practice and work evolve as I grow, heal, and get to know myself better.
Meditation, contemplation, and affirmation figure heavily into your work. Why these themes?
I use these themes because I know how important they are in healing the relationship with the self. In today’s world we are especially bombarded with a lot, through social media, the news, prescription drugs, and so on. I have found that by using these techniques in my own journey, they have helped me come back to myself and not be swayed by what is happening in the external world.
What are your favorite tools for working with glass, and why?
My favorite tool for working with glass is my body. I love the conversation my body and the molten material have while I am creating something new, almost like a dance. It becomes such an intimate and important part of the making process for me.
If you could have work from any contemporary glass artist for your home, whose would it be and why?
There are too many to list here. The glass community is blessed with a lot of amazing, skilled artists. But if I had to choose, I would choose Nancy Callan. I love the way she uses color and form to create, in my opinion, very beautiful pieces. She is also a badass and an extremely skilled female glassblower whom I have always looked up to.
Which glass artists, exhibitions, or projects do you think the world should know about, and why?
For glass artists who are really pushing the boundaries within the material, I must recommend Matthew Szösz and Anna Mlasowsky. They have both been extremely innovative with glass. I also recommend “the Maestro,” Lino Tagliapietra. He is a legend, and American glassblowing would not be what it is today without him and the various members on his team. For an amazing experience, Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms is a must see. It is currently on display at the Tate in London, and it is just genius—so simple, yet profound.
What are you working on right now?
I am currently working on rebranding my company, Jo Andersson Studios. The goal is to focus on high-end lighting and contemporary interior glass designs. I want to help more people feel good by entering the commercial space and by being a bit more subliminal in how I approach the viewer. At the moment, I am getting ready to relaunch Funkylicious, which is a fun new glass series I have been developing. I am also working on a new lighting design in neon, which I hope to launch at the Clerkenwell Design Week in London in May of this year. I am also reworking the technical side of my Light Vessels so they can be easily used in public spaces.
Light Vessel 15, 2019—made of blown glass and water—radiates a sense of calm, 14.5 x 10.25 in. Photo by Kimberly Hero.
Light Vessel 3, Mini, 2020, blown glass, water, wood, 18.5 x 8.75 in. Photo by Sarah Maria Yasdani.
Water inside Light Vessel 11 has stunning reflecting qualities when illuminated by a cell phone light. Photo by Serinyà.
A blown glass vase from Andersson's Funkylicious series, 2023, 16 x 16.75 in. Photo by Pelle Bergström.
