13.12.07
The Kaj Franck Design Prize of 2007 awarded to ceramic artist Kati Tuominen-Niittylä
(Press release 13 December 2007)
The recipient of the Kaj Franck Design Prize was announced at 11 a.m. on the 13th of December 2007 at Design Forum in Helsinki. The Kaj Franck Design Prize of 2007 goes to ceramist artist Kati Tuominen-Niittylä (born 1947). She began working at the Arabia factory in 1980. Her minimalist and timeless language of form appears in numerous serially manufactured products and one-off works. One of Arabia’s most recent success stories is the KoKo series of products, a result of Tuominen-Niittylä's and Kristina Riska’s creative cooperation. Prior to the Kaj Franck Design Prize of 2007 Kati Tuominen-Niittylä has received the Grand Prix, Honourable Mention and the Gold Medal in the Mino Ceramics Competition in Japan. She is a charter member of the Arabia Art Department Society (established in November 2003). The main idea of the new society is to maintain and continue the cultural heritage of the Art Department, which was originally established in 1932.
The Kaj Franck Design Prize has become a distinction highly valued by design professionals, the media and the general public. It is awarded according to the decision of a special prize jury. The prize jury of 2007 consisted of CEO Pentti Kivinen of the Finnish Fair Foundation, Dean Helena Hyvönen of the University of Art and Design Helsinki, Professor and designer Heikki Orvola, Kaj Franck specialist Designer Tauno Tarna and CEO Mikko Kalhama of Design Forum Finland. The jury noted that during her long time career Kati Tuominen-Niittylä has created versatile ceramic art and design involving interplay, from unique archaic art objects to playful modern serial products such as the KoKo series.
The prize includes a sum of €10,000 donated by the Finnish Fair Foundation, a medal designed by Tapio Junno and an exhibition at Design Forum Finland. Previous recipients of the prize include numerous leading Finnish designers in the fields of furniture, textiles, ceramics, fashion, clothing and industrial design. This year’s prize is the sixteenth in consecutive order.
Kaj Franck Prize was established in 1992 to honour the legacy of Finnish designer Kaj Franck (1911–89). He was, in his capacity as a designer and artistic director in industry (Arabia and the Nuutajärven glassworks) and as a teacher at the University of Art and Design, Helsinki. Franck was the "conscience of Finnish design". Functionality and compatibility were the underlying concepts of his streamlined utility articles. His best-known designs are Teema dishes (Arabia) and Kartio glassware (Iittala), which have become classics of modern design. His several awards included a Gold Medal (1951), the Diplome d'honneur (1954) and the Grand Prix (1957) at the Milan Triennials, and he also received the Compasso d'Oro (1957), the Lunning Award and the Finnish State Design Prize, among other distinctions. Works by Kaj Franck are included in several collections: the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Stedelijk Museum, Musée des Arts Decoratifs, New York's Museum of Modern Art, the Corning Glass Museum, the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, the Finnish Glass Museum, the Arabia Museum, the Iittala Museum and the Nuutajärvi Museum.
The Kaj Franck Design Prize 2007 – Kati Tuominen-Niittylä
14 December 2007 – 20 January 2008
Design Forum Finland, Space1
Erottajankatu 7, Helsinki.
Mon-Fri 10-19, Sat 10-18, Sun 12-18
Exhibition information tel. +358 (0)9 6220 8132. Free entrance
For more information please contact:
Design Forum Finland, PR & Communications Manager Aila Kolehmainen,
tel. +358 (0)9 6220 8121,
aila.kolehmainen@designforum.fi,
Prizes & Competitions Manager Tuula Laulajainen, tel. +358 (0)9 6220 8110,
tuula.laulajainen@designforum.fi
