Mia Alajasko

Mia Alajasko is a Swedish sculptor who works in clay from her studio in Onsala, on the west coast of Sweden. She is best known for her octopuses: ceramic sculptures that stand on their own tentacles, poised somewhere between stillness and movement.

Her work is defined by texture, balance and an elevated simplicity. Each piece is shaped in coarse-grained clay, fired twice and finished with layer upon layer of glazes she mixes herself, so that every surface develops its own crackle and shifts of colour.

Two white ceramic octopus sculptures by Mia Alajasko on a wooden table

Dark glazed ceramic octopus by Mia Alajasko held in two hands

About Mia Alajasko

Mia Alajasko found her way to sculpture on her own. Before devoting herself to art, she worked as store manager for the Swedish glass brands Orrefors & Kosta Boda. In 2020 she left the position to commit herself fully to her art.

She is self-taught and works exclusively in clay. Her method is intuitive and experimental, and her inspiration often comes from the organic forms of nature. Whether an octopus rests with its arms gathered or rises from its base, each sculpture carries traces of both stillness and motion.

Her sculptures are found in galleries and private collections around the world.

Detail of the pink glaze on Octopus - Pink Phantom by Mia Alajasko

Clay, Fire and Glaze

Alajasko builds her sculptures in a coarse-grained clay, chosen so that the octopuses can stand firmly and carry their own weight. Once shaped, each piece is left to dry for at least two weeks before it goes into the kiln.

Every work is fired twice. The first firing, the bisque, takes place when the clay has dried completely. In the second, the glaze firing, the surface is sealed and the sculpture gets its colour and its life.

The glazes are her own. She composes them herself and applies them in several layers – sometimes as many as eight – which react with one another in the heat and give rise to unexpected crackles and shifts of colour. It is this layering that gives her surfaces their depth.

The clay gives Mia Alajasko’s octopuses their weight. The glaze brings them to life.

Octopus - Pink Phantom, glazed ceramic sculpture by Mia Alajasko

The Octopus

The octopus has become Alajasko’s signature. The motif suits her way of working: a body without fixed form, where the arms curl, twist and lift away from the base and lead the eye around the sculpture. Seen from different sides, the same work can appear to rest, keep watch or be about to move.

Her palette ranges from soft, matte white and pale pink to deep, iridescent blue and almost black. Where the glazes meet, the surface breaks into fine cracks and changing tones, so each sculpture shifts with the light around it. The larger pieces reach up to 40 centimetres in height.