Ellen Ehk Åkesson Swedish, b. 1976

Ellen Ehk Åkesson (born 1976 in Nybro, Sweden) is a contemporary sculptor and ceramic artist whose work is deeply inspired by her lifelong connection to nature, especially the old-growth forests of Småland, where she grew up. She studied ceramic art and holds a Master of Applied Arts in Ceramic Art from the HDK – University of Design and Crafts in Gothenburg, graduating in 2002.

Her practice explores the intersection of nature, material, and time. Using materials such as clay, bronze, and glass, Ehk Åkesson creates sculptural works that echo organic structures—trees, roots, stones, and fungal growth—while remaining open to abstraction. Surface, texture, and tactility play a central role, allowing each piece to oscillate between fragility and permanence.

 

She has exhibited widely both in Sweden and internationally in galleries and museums — including solo shows at Galerie NeC in Paris, Berg Gallery in Stockholm, and VIDA Museum on Öland — and her works are included in public collections such as Nationalmuseum (Stockholm), Röhsska Museum (Gothenburg), and the Shanghai Arts and Craft Museum. In 2019 she was the first recipient of the Ulrica Hydman Vallien memorial grant, which supported her experimental work with glass at Kosta Glassworks.  

 

Ellen Ehk Åkesson lives and works in the former glass factory Pukeberg in Nybro and continues to develop her sculptural language that reflects both personal narrative and universal themes drawn from her deep engagement with the natural world.