Ola Höglund (born 1956) and Marie Höglund (b.1955) are Swedish-New Zealand glass artists. They met at the age of fifteen, trained at the same glass school, and have almost always worked collaboratively. [1]
Marie Simberg-Höglund was born in 1955 in Gothenburg, Sweden and trained at Orrefors Glass Studios and then Kosta Boda. [2] After focusing on engraving at Kosat Boda, Marie went on to two years studying handweaving and fabric design at Emmaboda College. [3]: 15
Ola Höglund was born in 1956 in Stockholm, Sweden. Between 1972 and 1977 he trained at Orrefors Glass Studios and Kosta Boda. [2]
In 1977 the two worked together at Vastkusthyttans Art Glass Studio, Marie as a designer-engraver and Ola as a designer-glassblower. [3]: 15 From there they were sent in 1978 to Swaziland by the Swedish International Development Authority, where they spent three years there establishing a workshop and teaching glassblowing skills. [1] [3]: 15
In 1982, they emigrated to Nelson, New Zealand. Shortly after they arrived, potter Jack Laird invited them to set up a studio at Craft Habitat in Nelson, where they remained for 9 years. [1] In 1994 they established Höglund Glassblowing Studio in Nelson. [2]
Ola typically blows the glass and Marie applies the surface treatment to the objects they create. [1] Laird, writing about their work in 1987, noted that 'They see themselves as a team, jointly working on all projects, and developing ideas by responding to each other's suggestions and contributions'. [3]: 16 In their artistic practices, they have widely used the graal technique first developed in Sweden in 1916. [2] In 2002, they established Höglund Art Glass Studio in North Queensland as a winter studio. [4] In 1999 the pair opened new gallery showrooms in Auckland, doing the same in Sydney the following year and launching a store in Melbourne in 2001. [5]
In 1999, they were officially appointed glass artists for the America's Cup and they produced glassware for Team New Zealand in 2000 and 2003. In 2000 they were also awarded a license to produce official merchandise for the Sydney Olympics. [1]