Meditation by Kerstin Dahl Norén on Uddenskulptur 2026
This sculpture is carved from two contrasting stones: red Bohus granite and Halland gneiss. Rising to a height of 160 cm, the block is roughly shaped into a trapezium form, retaining a strong sense of weight and geological presence.
A large female portrait emerges from the front surface. Her eyes are closed, and her lips carry a faint, gentle smile. Although the face projects outward, the figure still appears to remain sheltered within the stone itself — as though her thoughts and inner life are protected by the dense material surrounding her.
On the reverse side, a rounded form appears, possibly suggesting the back of the woman’s head. Here, the surface changes into a highly polished stone, creating a contrast between rough and smooth, exterior and interior, concealment and reflection.
The polished abstract form on the reverse side opens the sculpture to interpretation rather than giving a fixed answer. Because the front is figurative and inward-looking, the smooth circular form can be read as something less physical and more mental or spiritual — a continuation of the meditation itself.
Its polished surface reflects light, and sometimes even the viewer, which contrasts with the rough, enclosing stone around the portrait. That contrast may suggest a transition from the material and earthly toward something interior, silent, or immaterial. If the front presents the protected self, the back could represent thought, memory, consciousness, or an inner presence that cannot fully be described in figurative form.
The abstraction also creates ambiguity: it may resemble the back of the head, but it never becomes entirely literal. This leaves space for the viewer’s own contemplation, which feels very much in keeping with the title Meditation.
