Martha Skou

Martha Skou’s work explores themes of transition, rhythm, and interconnectedness through a material-based investigation of natural and systemic forces. Her practice examines how we experience and sense the energies that shape our environment - such as the movement of tides or the warmth of sunlight. Working across textile, stoneware, glass, and sound, Skou reflects on the relationship between internal states and external structures. Recurring forms like the circle, the hourglass, and the grid appear throughout her works, creating a subtle visual rhythm that invites reflection on time, balance, and continuity.

Skou takes a hands-on, process-driven approach. She combines techniques such as dyeing, de-coloring, burnout, and various print methods to create tactile works that often appear both delicate and resilient. In her ceramic and glass pieces, she explores how heat and chemical reactions produce unpredictable patterns - pointing to the fragility of ecosystems and the potential of minor shifts to create unexpected outcomes. Each work is shaped by both control and chance, emphasizing the transformative nature of material itself.

Martha Skou (b. 1982) is a Danish interdisciplinary artist who lives and works in Copenhagen. She holds an MFA in Visual Communication from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, completed in 2014. Among her recent exhibitions are Format 3 at KANAL-Centre Pompidou (Brussels, BE, 2023), Connect Me at Trapholt– museum of modern art, craft and design (Kolding, DK, 2023), and Disharmony of Spheres at Nikolaj Kunsthal (Copenhagen, DK, 2021), all in collaboration with artist Louise Foo. In 2026, Horsens Art Museum will present Martha Skou's first institutional solo exhibition.