Three exquisitely crafted contemporary designs that demand a closer look

Some of our favorite designs of late are marked by intricate, incredible detailing born of unseen, countless hours spent in the maker’s studio. This week, we spotlight pieces by three inspiring designers—Marianne Huotari, KAKU, and Lukas Wegwerth—whose work embodies patient, mindful, meticulous hands-on processes. Each, in their own way, weaves together time-honored craft techniques and resonant cultural touchstones—resulting in contemporary pieces that transport both makers and admirers beyond the everyday.

Clear geometric shapes are all about lines. Repeated and simple patterns create lines that help the eye to clearly perceive an object or surface. Geometry gives the whole a sense of proportion.

Marianne Huotari, ceramics artist and Finarte's chief designer, is overjoyed when she finds the right color combination — and is on the verge of world conquest.

Huotari, 37, Master of Arts, lives in Helsinki with her husband. She works in ceramics at the Arabia Art Association and is the chief designer at Finarte.

Top 5 Art Fairs To See During Art Basel Miami Beach 2023

Design Miami December 6th-10th, Preview Day December 5th, Miami Beach Convention Center

We know this isn’t strictly an art fair but they usually show works that look like better art than a lot of the art at the art fairs. Featuring over 40 gallery and Curio presentations that respond to the curatorial theme, “Where We Stand.” Additionally, there are more than 20 brand collaborations, including partnerships with Maestro Dobel, Birkenstock, Kohler, and Audi

Arabia's ceramics factory closed in 2016, but ceramic art continues to be made in the premises of the former Arabia art department. The dozen or so artists of the Arabia Art Department Association cherish traditions and brilliantly renew ceramic art in their studios.

At the beginning of July, the premises of the Arabia Art Department Association are quiet. Of the ten artists, Marianne Huotari, Sakari Kannosto and Kati Tuominen-Niittylä are busy with work and are preparing their works for the association's 20th anniversary exhibition.

The art department association is located on the eighth floor of the former Arabia factory, and in its corridors you can get a glimpse of what goes on behind the green painted doors of the studio rooms.

Opening October 14 at Scandinavia House, Narrative Threads: Works by Eight Nordic Artists presents multi-media artwork by Nordic artists, each distinguished by their innovative use of natural, synthetic, and digital materials. Exploring Nordic craft traditions through a contemporary lens, the works in the exhibition engage with material experimentation, and digital technology. Textile design, ceramics, stitching, painting, audio recording, and assemblage unleash diverse narrative expressions and perspectives. The exhibition will feature the work of eight internationally celebrated artists: Margrethe Aanestad (Norway), Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir / Shoplifter (Iceland), Hildur Ásgeirsdóttir Jónsson (Iceland), Hildur Bjarnadóttir (Iceland), Astrid Krogh (Denmark), Heidi Hankaniemi (Finland), Marianne Huotari (Finland), and Kristina Riska (Finland). The works in the exhibition explore personal histories and intergenerational discourse, while influenced by ages-old handicraft techniques and cultural traditions.

The Arabia Art Department Society's 20th anniversary show Northern Latitude 60.20890 opens at the Iittala & Arabia Design Center on September 14, 2023 and will be on view through January 28, 2024. The exhibition of Finnish contemporary ceramics is curated by New York-based gallerists Juliet Burrows and Kim Hostler. It is accompanied by a catalog, Arabia Art Department Society: 20 Years, featuring an essay by Burrows. 

The artists of the Arabia Art Department Society are featured in the new exhibition “Atelier Life,” on view at the Hvitträsk Museum in Finland through September.

HB381 is pleased to announce their summer exhibition, a group show of three Nordic artists emphasizing the parallels between intensive hand crafts, traditional textile techniques, and ceramics. The show will run until August 19th at the gallery’s New York location in Tribeca. 

Dating back to the Vikings, ryijy is a distinctly Finnish textile tradition that produces thick, high-pile tapestries and rugs. The heavily patterned works, which have shifted from functional to decorative, are made by hand-knotting wool and layering the yarn into lush, textured motifs.

HB381 presents a summer exhibition, a group show emphasizing the parallels between intensive hand crafts, traditional textile techniques, and ceramics. Recent works by Veera Kulju (Finnish, b. 1975), Marianne Huotari (Finnish, b. 1986), and Hanne G. (Danish, b. 1963) are to be included.

HB381 in New York, the new gallery offshoot of Hostler Burrows, is currently hosting Selected Works by Veera Kulju, Marianne Huotari and Hanne G. The summer group show brings together three Nordic artist-makers who transpose craft techniques between the mediums of textiles and ceramics. 

HB381 is thrilled to announce that Marianne Huotari, currently featured in our Summer Group Show, was shortlisted for the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize. Her work, Ananasakäämä, is on view at the The Seoul Museum of Craft Art (SeMoCA) through July 30th as part of a special exhibition honoring this year's finalists. 

The world's most lucrative award for craft will announce its winner in a ceremony in Seoul this June.

The finalists are: Andile Dyalvane (South Africa); Annika Jarring (Sweden); Awaré (France); Beate Leonards (Germany); Blast Studio (United Kingdom); Chikuunsai Tanabe (Japan); Dahye Jeong (Republic of Korea); David Clarke (United Kingdom); Domingos Tótora (Brazil); Eleanor Lakelin (United Kingdom); Fernando Casasempere (Chile); Fredrik Nielsen (Sweden); Junsu Kim (Republic of Korea); Julia Obermaier (Germany); Kate Malone (United Kingdom); Konrad Koppold (Germany); Lu Bin (China); Madoda Fani (South Africa); Marianne Huotari (Finland); Mayumi Onagi (Japan); Mel Douglas (Australia); Minwook Kim (Republic of Korea); Myungtaek Jung (Republic of Korea); Pao Hui Kao (Taiwan); Peter T. McCarthy (Cote d'Ivoire); Sangwook Huh (Republic of Korea); Soyun Jung (Republic of Korea); Trinidad Contreras (Spain); Vera Siemund (Germany); and Yongjin Chung (Republic of Korea).