Saturday, November 29, 2014

'Keramiikka tilassa - Keramiikan tila' Exhibition Catalogue


The catalogue for the Ceramics & Space exhibition is finally out! I got my copy a little bit ahead of everyone else because I just couldn't wait. I piled it up with a couple of other ceramics books since that's what you do with paper publications and in reality that is what happens on my side table. 

The book Fragiles (2008) is a collection of contemporary artwork in porcelain, glass and ceramics. It was published the same year I started studying ceramics and I bought this book with the money from my first Tokyo's Christmas Sales. The book was a big thing back then and my teacher Nathalie Lahdenmäki was featured in the book as the top of the contemporary ceramicists world wide. Currently, Nathalie's and Naoto Niidome's collaboration piece is exhibited at Designmuseo in Helsinki. 

The blue book from our school library is Taidekeramiikkaa Suomessa, edited by Åsa Hellman in 2004. The same year was the last time a bigger ceramics exhibition Syvällä savessa - Suomalaista nykykeramiikkaa was held in Finland at The Craft Museum in Jyväskylä. So many ceramic artists that were featured in the book are now part of the current exhibition, too.

I personally am very pleased that Keramiikka tilassa - Keramiikan tila exhibition stirs up conversation about ceramic art, design and education in Finland. The artists of the exhibition have given lectures every week and last Tuesday there was a panel discussion about the role of ceramics in contemporary art. The discussion was moderated by Helena Leppänen, PhD in Design and Applied Arts and the editor of the exhibition catalogue. One of my material research teachers Eeva Jokinen, ceramic artist Åsa Hellman, exhibition jury member and sculptor Kim Simonsson, and art critic Veikko Halmetoja, who wrote a review of the exhibition for Ornamo magazine, were keeping up the conversation.

Next Tuesday not only Tuula Lehtinen and Kristina Riska will give their artist lectures but there is also a chance to meet international guests Jill Singer, freelancer writer and co-founder of Sight Unseen online magazine, Davira Taragin, Consultative Curator of Decorative Arts at David Owsley Museum of Art at Ball State University, and Monica Gass, Museum Director of Keramikmuseum Westerwald in Germany, who was also a jury memeber for Keramiikka tilassa - Keramiikan tila exhibition.

This would be something not to miss.
 
Keramiikka tilassa - Keramiikan tila, Ceramics & Space, Keramikens rum 
10.10.2014-11.1.2015