Follow the Blooms
The Finnish Glass Museum
October 3–December 31, 2026
Tehtaankatu 23
11910 Riihimäki
Finland
Tehtaankatu 23
11910 Riihimäki
Finland
In October, my solo exhibition Follow the Blooms opens at the Finnish Glass Museum in Riihimäki. The exhibition features many new works in which the forms of a garden grow into oversized glass sculptures.
The exhibition is connected to the new flourishing of Finnish art, craft and glass art, and it has been a great joy and honour to be part of this movement.
A thousand thanks to everyone who has made this exhibition possible:
Alfred Kordelinin säätiö
Taiteen edistämiskeskus
glassblowers Samuli Parkkinen, Otto Koivuranta and Paula Pääkkönen, Jasmiina Lehtomaa, Sanni Lappalainen, Markus Roponen, Senni Virransola and many others
Cold working Studio Heikki Viinikainen
Tommi Tikkinen
Studio assistants Eveliina Saarentaus, @lauragronlund, Anais Godal and Kirsi Kokkonen
Exhibition architect Hanna Anonen
Photo Julia Töyrylä
Atlas Light
- National Museum
of Finland
TOGETHER WITH
Signature Light Fixture for the New National Museum of Finland
In collaboration with JKMM Architects
Milla Vaahtera, in collaboration with JKMM Architects, has designed the Atlas Light, a signature light fixture for the new annex of the National Museum of Finland. The luminaires will be installed throughout the above-ground portion of the building, illuminating the entrance and restaurant areas while creating a warm and atmospheric presence within the monumental architectural setting.
The design subtly references Finland’s national flower, the lily of the valley. Each glass element is individually hand-blown in the renowned Nuutajärvi Glass Village, and every opening is shaped by hand, making each component unique. The Atlas Lights bring a soft, ambient glow together with a rich material expression that complements the architecture of the museum.
Located in the heart of Helsinki, near the Parliament House and opposite Alvar Aalto’s Finlandia Hall, the National Museum of Finland is one of the country's most significant cultural landmarks. Its original building, completed in 1916, is regarded as a masterpiece of National Romantic architecture. In 2019, JKMM Architects won the international competition to design the museum’s new annex. Scheduled to open in 2027, the extension will feature a new entrance pavilion situated in the museum courtyard and expansive underground exhibition spaces that connect seamlessly with the renovated historic building.
Design
Milla Vaahtera & JKMM Architects
Design Assistants
Eveliina Saarentaus & Laura Grönlund
Photos
Julia Töyrylä, Milla Vaahtera, Tuomas Uusheimo & Hannakaisa Pekkala
Video direction & editing
Päivi Niemi
Glassblowers
Samuli Parkkinen, Otto Koivuranta, Jasmiina Lehtomaa, Markus Roponen, Paula Pääkkönen & Sani Lappalainen
Mould Maker
Mika Ihanus
Coldworking
Tommi Tikkinen
Electrical Components
Innolux
Metal Components and Assembly
Milla Vaahtera, Eveliina Saarentaus, Laura Grönlund, Mirke Tilja, Miikka Pirinen & Julia Töyrylä
Electrical Installation
Innojok & Ab Elinstallation Per Juslin Oy
Video direction & editing
Päivi Niemi
Special Thanks
JKMM Architects, National Museum of Finland, Senaatti Kiinteistöt, SRV, A-Insinöörit, Ramboll, Airam, Finnish Cultural Foundation, Alfred Kordelin Foundation, Kuopio Academy of Design Foundation, Asko Foundation, Lasikomppania, Nuutajärvi Glass Village, Glass School Nuutajärvi, Elinstallation Per Juslin, Suomen Valaisintarvike, S&N, Sertifiointi, Laser Riimikko and Oona Kallio.
The new National Museum of Finland will open in 2027.
Collection of work
for
COS Oxford Street in London curated by Studio Ashby
This summer, COS launches its collaboration with London-based interior design studio, Studio Ashby, unveiling a curated selection of artworks by women artists from around the world. Displayed in reimagined store environments on Regent Street in London, Rue Tronchet in Paris and a recently opened location on Aleksanterinkatu in Helsinki, the initiative reinforces the brand’s deep-rooted connection to modern culture – a consistent source of inspiration.
In London, Finnish artist Milla Vaahtera presents a striking lighting installation that fuses bold glass forms with delicate brass, reinterpreting heritage craft techniques with a modern sensibility.
Glassblowing by Paula Pääkkösen, Kaappo Lähdesmäki, Samuli Parkkinen, Jasmiina Lehtomaa & Sani Lappalainen
Assist Eveliina Saarentaus & Julia Töyrylä
Photos Julia Töyrylä
In collaboration with Galerie Philia
“I see my pieces as
poems of the space”
and improvisation.
She is best known for her acclaimed Dialogue series — a collection of mobiles and stabiles combining striking hand-blown glass elements with delicate brass structures. The series, which began in May 2017, is rooted in collaboration and improvisation with master glassblowers from Nuutajärvi Glass Village, while all brasswork is crafted by Vaahtera herself.