With a keen eye for historical pop-art influences, Truls Mårtensson born in 1993, seamlessly weaves these references into his ceramic creations, eliciting an intriguing and impactful interplay between the past and the present. Mårtensson employs the medium of ceramics to engage in a profound and thought-provoking exploration of our contemporary consumer culture. Through the delicate medium of ceramics, Mårtensson artfully challenges the dominant narratives and ideologies that drive our modern world.

When did you first discover your passion for ceramics, and what about the medium appealed to you?

The first time I got in touch with ceramics as a medium was in 2017. It was when I was studying in California and had the chance to take a course in ceramics. I was interested in the material and in seeing where it would take me. Mostly, I wanted to try something new. Later, when I came back to Sweden, I started to pursue it. And it led me here, to what I am doing today. So in short it all started in 2017 in Los Angeles.

Can you share a bit about your creative process? What are things or places that you take inspiration from ?

I don't take as much inspiration from art but more from popular culture, like films, music and fashion. And from places - I was recently in Lanzarote, Spain for a couple of weeks, on a residency. I discovered that those kinds of trips, where you go away for a long time, really gets your inspiration going. I think it can come from out of nowhere. Just by sitting on the bus, scrolling your phone or listening to music. Ideas are born out of the mundane. What I am trying to say is that it's constant for me. It's not like I sit down trying to get inspired.There is almost never any time for sketching. An idea goes straight from my head and into the material.

Can you walk us through the materials and techniques you use to create your sculptures?

I've basically been using stoneware, ever since I started. For this exhibition everything is coil- built, which means that I build it by hand, from the ground up using coils. It's an old and basic technique, good for getting volume into the sculptures. I am not so technically interested but rather want my ideas to come to life instantly . I create narratives through my ceramics.

How do you hope your work resonates with your audience?

That is a really good but a really hard question. I think since I started I have been wanting to create things that appeal to people who are interested in the worlds that I take inspiration from. Like music, fashion and art. But then also for an audience that finds it appealing in passing, catching a glimpse of what I do. What I am trying to say is that I want to resonate on many different levels. I want people to delve into stuff and see different dimensions of each and every work. Also, there are almost always fragments of text in my work, especially for this show. They consist of random quotes, some I made up and some paraphrased from music or literature. It's basically like sampling in ceramics and very intuitive. Words and texts can have so many different meanings depending on the context. I like to create narratives out of that.

Your upcoming show at Larsen Warner will contain 10 new works. What can you tell us about these pieces?

All of them are vessels. Not in a practical sense, more in how they are shaped. Some are weird, some are less weird. My main inspiration for these works came from the obsession with self improvement. About how to become your best self. In society and especially through social media you are constantly reminded of how to become better - physically and mentally - or how to become as successful as possible. At the same time that it’s inspiring it makes me very cynical.

I have taken that notion and tried to create a narrative or a character even, that is a bit naive or premature and listens to these kinds of messages. I am going into a role and I write these fragmentary sentences on the vessels from this perspective, where I am just this failed, modern person who has listened to all these quotes and messages, but hasn’t really been able to live up to them. Yet trying to keep up an image of their successful life. An image that is crumbling at the edges.

So would you say the works reflect us as humans?

Yes, at the end of the day I guess that is what they do.

Astrid Birnbaum in conversation with Truls Mårtensson, October 2023

‘‘It's not like I sit down trying to get inspired. There is almost never any time for sketching. An idea goes straight from my head and into the material’’

Are there any artists who have been a source of inspiration for you?

There are obviously many artists that I am inspired by, but I also try not to look too much at contemporary art. I can get so overwhelmed and impressed. Jealousy is not the right word, but you can see something and think: Why didn't I come up with that? So sometimes I refrain from watching it. Instead I rather delve into older art, I feel more detached then, in a good way. When I first started, I was inspired by an American, contemporary ceramic-artist called Dean Roper. I still really like what he does. I also like a contemporary artist in Chicago whose name is Emily Yong Beck. Those are just names on top of my head, who are always current. I am inspired by their attitude towards crafts and ceramics.

You work in the iconic studio-complex in Gustavsberg. Can you tell me a bit about that place?

It used to be a factory for making porcelain. If you lived in Sweden you have probably seen the Gustavsberg- logo on plates and other porcelain. The factory has been made into a studio-complex for artists and now it contains around hundred studios. We have a kiln park in the basement where you can fire stuff, so it is very convenient if you are a ceramic artist. There are a lot of artforms taking place here, but mainly craft, like textile and ceramics. But I am also friends with painters who work here, there is so much knowledge in this building. It's very unique and I really like being here. It is pretty far from where I live but I like going here every day. It's an hour commute - but you really get into a headspace when you come here.

’’I am going into a role and I write these fragmentary sentences on the vessels from this perspective, where I am just this failed, modern person who has listened to all these quotes and messages, but hasn’t really been able to live up to them.’’