Mio Kuhnen

Established

In Mio Kuhnen’s works there are two major transformations. An image built on collected data, reimagined and embossed in metal. And, there is a transformation of scale; the vast miles of the landscape condensed into small circular metal forms that can be worn and held. In the Lava series, Mio looks at topography, using embossed, engraved, etched and enamelled designs on slightly concave circular silver forms. The series is based on the dramatic lava flows of Big Island in Hawaii, an opportunity to examine the forces of nature against the perspective of the whole sweep of geological time. As the magma erupts, new lava flows over old, creating a labyrinth of nooks, ripples and crannies which Mio captures in miniature. The scale transforms from mammoth forces of nature to something controlled and intimate. - extract from Nola Andersons essay - Transfer 2018. 

Image: Mio Kuhnen, Lava - Big Island Flow Pendant, 2019. Photo: Johannes Kuhnen