Description
Jet Clean is from Anna Frlan’s Kitchen Anatomy series, which explores the 1950s Kitchen-as-Factory design concept by plasma cutting intricate patterns into steel sculptures that represent kitchen appliances. The Kitchen Anatomy series was inspired by a trip to her ancestral homeland of Croatia in 2005. The artist took note of the traditions that position the kitchen at the centre of family life and how in many ways the kitchen is the heart of the home. Jet Clean features patterns of pipes, rotors and water droplets. It has been loaded with dishes, bowls, cups, glasses and utensils, all with china patterns typical of the 1940s to 1970s when dishwashers were introduced into the kitchen. Frlan’s intricate designs resemble embroidery or lace work more so than the hard lines of metal sculpture. Frlan uses welding and plasma cutting techniques to explore the metamorphosis of steel, creating new forms that challenge the perceived industrial nature of steel.
Anna Frlan received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Ottawa and has exhibited in both Canada and Croatia. Frlan was the artist in residence in 2016 at the Diefenbunker. She has established her practice in the Ottawa region and is a founding member of Studio Space Ottawa which was established to provide “working spaces for working artists” as a not-for-profit arts group.