Ester Christen

"I am inspired by trees and the way they relate to each other, often finding similarities with the human world and making associations to interactions between people.

The process starts by choosing a piece of wood to work with and then let it decide which direction to go first. It often is an intuitive procedure where I slowly start to see the figure and am able to free it from the trunk by using hammer and chisel.

It is a long process and full of surprises. One never knows what is hidden inside the log.

Wood can be challenging and hard but at the same time inspiring and soft.
I have chosen to work with wood because it is alive and forces one to adapt and evolve continuously."

Born in 1987, Ester spends the first three years of her life in Italy.

Her father’s artistic work and her mother’s encouragement of creativity awaken in her an early and distinctive sense of aesthetics, along with a deep love of beauty.

2003–2007: Training in the field of architecture and attendance at the School of Design and Applied Arts (GBMS) in Zurich. During this time, she gains her first experience in sculpture.

After successfully completing her training, she works for various architectural firms.

In 2012, a period of travel across several continents begins. The intensive engagement with different ways of life and cultures will profoundly shape her future artistic work.

Between her travels, she begins working with different types of wood as a way to process her experiences. With perseverance and an inherent curiosity, she teaches herself how to work with hammer and chisel and becomes fascinated by the diversity of forms hidden within the wood. A whole new world opens up to her.

Entirely self-taught, Ester has developed her distinctive style and skill through extensive practice and her endless hunger to create.

She currently lives and works in Switzerland.