Ilkka Suppanen

Born in Kotka, Finland 1968 | Lives and works in Helsinki, Finland

 

Ranking among Finland’s leading contemporary designers, Ilkka Suppanen is a designer and architect whose glass art is a combination of technical experimentation and traditional craftsmanship. His art embraces a humanist philosophy, often addressing environmental themes.

 

Suppanens new unique sculptures were crafted in the legendary glass studios of Claudio Tiozzo and Pino Signoretto in Murano, Venice. Choosing a technique honoring artisan traditions and experimentalism, Suppanen discovers a wholly new expressive idiom within the border zone between glass art and design. His sculptures exude a sense of dynamic movement, while engaging in a dialogue with space, mass and volume, the large and heavy appearing fragile, while the small and compact conveys a sense of massive weight and volume. The palette of his sculptures ranges from colorless translucent to shades of blue, green and white, endowing the exhibition with an ethereal visual aesthetic.

 

In addition to practicing in the field of industrial design, Suppanen produces one-off art that has been exhibited at venues including the Venice Biennale and the New York Museum of Modern art. He is the winner of numerous awards and accolades, including the pan-Nordic Torsten and Wanja Söderberg Prize in 2015.