{"id":527,"date":"2025-04-03T16:56:38","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T13:56:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wirkkalabryk.fi\/?p=527"},"modified":"2025-04-03T16:58:42","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T13:58:42","slug":"tapio-wirkkalas-iconic-design-legacy-showcased-in-japan-for-the-first-time-on-the-artists-110th-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wirkkalabryk.fi\/en\/tapio-wirkkalas-iconic-design-legacy-showcased-in-japan-for-the-first-time-on-the-artists-110th-anniversary\/","title":{"rendered":"Tapio Wirkkala\u2019s iconic design legacy showcased in Japan for the first time on the artist\u2019s 110th anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Tapio Wirkkala, Coreano. Kuva: Ari Karttunen \/ EMMA
Tapio Wirkkalan Ultima Thulen rakentamista, Aitio, 2 krs.
Kuva:Ella Tommila \/ EMMACanon 5D Mark III \/ LR5<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Sculptor of Ultima Thule<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0presents the work of Tapio Wirkkala \u2013 master of form and material \u2013 to a Japanese audience for the very first time. Opening on Saturday, 5 April 2025, at Tokyo Station Gallery, this retrospective marks the 110th anniversary of the renowned artist with a comprehensive presentation of 300 works. The exhibition will tour multiple venues in Japan throughout 2025\u20132026.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tapio Wirkkala<\/strong>\u00a0(1915\u20131985) is one of the most influential figures in Finnish art and design history. His unique design philosophy and life\u2019s work can soon be explored in Japan through\u00a0The Sculptor of Ultima Thule<\/em>. Featuring approximately 300 works alongside extensive archival material, the exhibition offers an in-depth look at the visionary and multifaceted artist, whose timeless creations continue to captivate new design enthusiasts. The exhibition is a collaboration between EMMA \u2013 Espoo Museum of Modern Art, the Tapio Wirkkala Rut Bryk Foundation, and the Japanese company Blue Sheep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exhibition\u2019s title, The Sculptor of Ultima Thule<\/em>, references Wirkkala\u2019s 1967 sculpture Ultima Thule <\/em>and the iconic Iittala glassware line of the same name, first launched in 1968. \u201cUltima Thule\u201d refers to a mythical northern land at the edge of the known world. The exhibition takes visitors on a journey into Wirkkala\u2019s design thinking and the two landscapes that deeply influenced his artistic vision: the raw beauty of the northern wilderness and the mesmerising colours of Venice. The collection includes everyday objects and art pieces created for Iittala, Kultakeskus, Venini, and Rosenthal, as well as rarely displayed plywood sculptures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Wirkkala is particularly renowned for his work with glass, his artistic practice spanned a diverse range of materials. His extraordinary ability to combine artistic expression with practicality, as well as traditional crafts with modern design, established him as one of the most versatile designers in Finnish history. His bold and innovative approach played a crucial role in the international breakthrough of Finnish design in the 1950s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaking things with my hands means a lot to me. I could even say that the act of sculpting or moulding natural materials has a therapeutic effect on me. They inspire me and invite me to new experiments\u2026 They transport me to another world \u2013 a world where, even when vision fails, the eyes of the fingertips can sense the movement and the constant transformation of geometric shapes.” \u2013 Tapio Wirkkala, 1979.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exhibition is largely drawn from the collection of the Tapio Wirkkala Rut Bryk Foundation, the most extensive archive of works by Wirkkala and his partner, ceramic artist Rut Bryk<\/strong>. The foundation\u2019s collection, based on the couple\u2019s personal archives, is permanently housed at EMMA in the Bryk & Wirkkala Visible Storage exhibition and archive space. Additionally, the exhibition features a wide selection of glass and silver works from Collection Kakkonen, the leading Finnish collection of modern glass and ceramics, founded by commercial counsellor Ky\u00f6sti<\/strong> Kakkonen<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHundreds of thousands of museum visitors have admired Tapio Wirkkala\u2019s incredibly diverse body of work at EMMA. We are proud to now bring it to Japanese audiences in collaboration with our esteemed partners,\u201d says EMMA\u2019s Museum Director, Pilvi Kalhama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sculptor of Ultima Thule<\/em> is a co-production of EMMA, the Tapio Wirkkala Rut Bryk Foundation, and Japanese collaborators. The works have been prepared at EMMA for this touring exhibition. Following its debut at Tokyo Station Gallery (5 April \u2013 15 June 2025), the exhibition will travel to Itami City Museum of Art, History and Culture<\/em> (1 August \u2013 13 October 2025) and the Museum of Modern Ceramic Art <\/em>in Gifu (25 October 2025 \u2013 12 January 2026). An EMMA-produced video featuring Wirkkala\u2019s seminal Ultima Thule<\/em> relief (1967) will also travel with the exhibition. Additionally, a striking installation comprising nearly 400 Ultima Thule <\/em>glass pieces has been specially created for the touring exhibition in collaboration with Iittala. To accompany the exhibition, two Japanese-language publications have been produced.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Sculptor of Ultima Thule\u00a0presents the work of Tapio Wirkkala \u2013 master of form and material \u2013 to a Japanese audience for the very first time. Opening on Saturday, 5 April 2025, at Tokyo Station Gallery, this retrospective marks the 110th anniversary of the renowned artist with a comprehensive presentation of 300 works. The exhibition […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized-fi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wirkkalabryk.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wirkkalabryk.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wirkkalabryk.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wirkkalabryk.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wirkkalabryk.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=527"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wirkkalabryk.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/527\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":541,"href":"https:\/\/wirkkalabryk.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/527\/revisions\/541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wirkkalabryk.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wirkkalabryk.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wirkkalabryk.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}