Ann Wolff
JACKDAW
A giant western jackdaw has landed at Pilane. In Nordic and European folklore, the jackdaw symbolises wisdom, intelligence and community. It has also been seen as a sign of change, and large flocks of jackdaws were said to be harbingers of hard times. But they have also been perceived as good omens and knowledge.
This mighty, realistically rendered bird sculpture was made by Ann Wolff. She is best known for her works in glass, but has consistently refused to be pigeonholed as a glass artist. Wolff is a sculptor, illustrator and painter. Born in Lübeck, she moved to Sweden in the 1960s. She has designed glassware for Kosta Boda and been a professor of design in Hamburg. Her candle holder Snöboll (1973) adorns many a home all over the world.
Ann Wolff’s art is a form of endless story about life. The occasionally puzzling imagery is expressive and charged with emotion. Her motifs are often inspired by myths and legends. Basically, they relate existential experiences and complex issues of identity.
Ann Wolff, born Schaefer in 1937, is a glass artist, painter, sculptor and printmaker. She was a professor of design at the Hochschule für bildende Künste in Hamburg in 1993–97. In 1960–64, Ann Wolff worked for the Pukeberg glassworks, and in 1964–78, she was at Kosta Boda. She has had her own glassworks in Transjö at Kosta since 1979. In the late 1980s, she started focusing on painting, sculpture and printmaking alongside glass.