Naja Utzon Popov Copenhagen, Denmark, b. 1973

Naja Utzon Popov is a Danish sculptor, textile designer and ceramicist who is internationally oriented in her work. After 6 years in Australia and 15 years in London, she is now back in her native Denmark, where she based in the old Burmeister & Wein shipyard in Copenhagen.

Naja (pro. Nai-ya) was born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1973 into a family of artists. Her creative genes are inherited from her grandfather Jørn Utzon, a Danish architect most notable for designing the iconic Sydney Opera House in Australia. Her mother, Lin Utzon, is an eminent Danish artist and her father is acclaimed Australian architect, Alex Popov.

Innately influenced by the wealth of nature around her during her younger years, Naja's style embraces encounters with the environment which have been translated into a collection of sculptures, glassware and hand woven rugs. She has created gravity-defying clay sculptures for the Rosendahl corporate headquarters in Copenhagen and a design for a presentation sculpture was commissioned by the Institute of Architects in Barcelona. A monumental outdoor sculpture entitled 'Gathering', which rises from the ground like ancient columns formed from Welsh slate, was commissioned for the corporate collection of the Danish organisation, Humana.

Her work constantly surprises us with its raw beauty; the influence of her formative years in Australia can be seen in the formation and gestures of her ceramic works and drawings.