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[January 2008]
Kaj Franck Prize Goes To Ceramic Artist Kati Tuominen-Niittylä
Exhibits by the the Kaj Franck Design Prize 2007 winner, ceramic artist Kati Tuominen-Niittylä are on display at Design Forum Finland until 20 January 2008. Kati Tuominen-Niittylä (born 1947) 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 had 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 career Kati Tuominen-Niittylä had 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. The 2007 prize was the sixteenth awarded in consecutive years.
www.designforum.fi
ENDS