Spark Lokal
Spark
The skill of glassblowing has become endangered as the industrial revolution has turned into mass production. Now glassblowing is being proposed by Glass school of Nuutajärvi and Finnish Glass Museum to be added to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists by Finland, Germany, Czech Republic, Italy and Spain.
I have also been obsessively interested in glassblowing and perhaps even more obsessive in maintaining the wonderful tradition and generational knowledge that we have in the hotshops of Finland. Katja asked me to curate this exhibition on new Finnish glass with her and the amazing Lokal team. In recent years many new generation artists and designers have started working with glass with a new playful perspective. New Finnish glass is pushing the craft forward, it's all about unique pieces and it's very organic. As this exhibition is only a small sample of contemporary glass in Finland and this makes me confident that glassblowing will be a viable graft and the skilled glassblowers and artists will keep the fire going.
Thank you Katja Hagelstam for asking me to co-curate this exhibition. Big thanks also Lokal team Kati Ruohomäki, Hanni Koroma and Aleksi Martikainen.
A very special thank you also to wonder woman Paula Pääkkönen, she and her team have hand blown many of the pieces in this exhibition, including her own art. If you want to try working with glass, call her up 🔥
Hanna Anonen
Orcum Erdem
Anne Hirvonen
Leena Kangaskoski
Päivi Keskipomppu
Viivi Lehto
Toivo Molin
Henriikka Pahkala
Paula Pääkkönen
Aleksi Remsu
Lokal
Annankatu 11
Spark 4.8.-4.9.2021