Soneva has confirmed that two European visual artists will be visiting Soneva Fushi, Maldives, in February and March 2017, to create an exhibition of artwork made exclusively from recycled glass materials and other objects found at the luxury resort.  The renowned Danish glass artist Tobias Møhl will be visiting from February 10 – March 02, while the acclaimed Russian visual artist Maria Koshenkova will be visiting from March 24 – April 14.

Their visit is part of the resort’s Featured Artist’s programme, which has recently also welcomed Maestro Lino Taliapietra, Martin Janecky,Howard BenTre, and Flavie Audie, among others.

Tobias Møhl

Tobias’ work focuses on sculptural forms which are clearly informed by the lineage of functional glass vessels.  The complex visual patterns in his work can be traced to the techniques of the Venetians, yet his subtle and sophisticated palette set him apart.

Commenting on his work, the New York Times has written: ‘The work of Tobias Møhl… impresses sotto voce with small bowls crisscrossed with infinitesimal threads of color. Combining an extraordinary technical mastery of his craft with an exquisite level of taste, he successfully translates a historically Italian glass-making idiom into his own, distinctly Scandinavian voice.’

Møhl’s work is included in collections of the Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY; Memorial Art Museum, Rochester, NY; Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY; the Museum fur Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany; the Danish Museum of Decorative Art, Copenhagen, Denmark and other public and private collections in the USA and Europe.  A studio artist and teacher, Tobias Møhl works and resides in Ebeltoft, Denmark.

Maria Koshenkova

Born and raised in St Petersburg, Russia, Koshenkova currently lives and works in Denmark, where she runs her atelier ‘Koshmar’ in the heart of Copenhagen.

Her work reflects influences from both Russia, where she grew up, and Scandinavia, where she was shaped as an artist.  She uses glass in combination with other materials such as wax, wood, ceramic tiles, concrete and drawings to create art pieces that establish concrete and fragile equilibriums between what is real and abstract, defined only by its own form.

One recent area of focus for Koshenkova has been the crossover between parallel realities, based on site-specific contexts, local history, and architecture. In these contexts, she molds new storylines by working with glass, which involves the human body in a very direct and active way.

She also aims to show the propensity for violence and the need for harmony as the two pillars of being human, with glass emphasizing this fragile balance of our nature. Her work, created out of glass (itself a transparent media) aims to reflect and embody the border between an existing and non-existing reality.

“I am interested to reach the point where the readymade objects I use as a model – whether they are wooden planks from a wall of a destroyed house or freshly bought items from a market – are transformed by my physical artistic act of re-sculpting them into unfamiliar structures which show both parallel realities I deal with: the lost past and the real – present context of the now,” Koshenkova explains.

Since 2006, her works have been exhibited internationally, including major exhibitions of contemporary glass in Europe, such as the International exhibition of Glass, Kanazawa; the Coburg Glass Prize in Belgium; the Ebeltoft Glass museum and Sophienholm Denmark, as well as museums including the Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, the Holstebro Art museum in Denmark, the Ludwig Museum in St. Petersburg, the LENTOS Kunstmuseum in Austria, and Islip Art Museum in the United States.

Her sculptures have been represented by the Clara Scremni Gallery in Paris, which showcases contemporary glass and ceramic work in Europe.

Maria Koshenkova will be at Soneva Fushi from March 24 – April 14 2017. She will be working from Soneva Fushi’s world class Art and Glass Studio and the work produced will be on sale at the on-site boutique.

Soneva owns and operates Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani in the Maldives and Soneva Kiri in Thailand. Soneva in Aqua, an ultra-luxurious yacht, was launched in the Maldives in 2015 and sails out of Soneva Fushi.

For more information about Soneva visit www.soneva.com. More information about Soneva’s art programme can be accessed at: http://www.soneva.com/soneva-art/featured-artists/