Kristina Riska
Augusta
2019
Kristina Riska is one of Scandinavia’s foremost contemporary ceramic artists and a senior member of the Arabia Art Department Society in Helsinki. Riska has been exploring, defying, and redefining the traditional tenets of ceramic sculpture since the 1980’s. Her unorthodox, large - scale works, inspired by nature and the properties of light and shadow, embody her rigorous and physical approach to her work.
Riska begins the conceptualization of her works on paper, her designs ultimately coming to fruition spontaneously as she works. Her process is a foray into the unknown; with each unplanned, instinctive manipulation of the clay, she establishes a non - physical “internal” space. She describes this space as a repository for her qualities of quietude, serenity, and concentration. Her unique ceramic sculptures are astounding in their technical prowess; their impressive scale is matched with equal delicacy; the artist creates forms that seemingly defy gravity and the constraints of the ceramic process. Her craftsmanship is evident as well in the beauty of her glazes, given the limitations of firing such monumental objects in the kiln.
In 1986, Riska exhibited at the Gallery Bronda, which could be considered her first critical success. On display were a series of vessels so large that the installation proved quite difficult. The State Art Collection purchased two works from the show, spurring a career in which she has been well recognized in her home country and abroad. In 1991 Riska exhibited jointly with the architect Kimmo Friman at Gallery Kluuvi. By this time she had abandoned all the traditional tenets of pot making - her curvaceous, imbricated, porous forms were recognized with prestigious accolades, including the State’s Suomi Prize in 1995 and a silver medal at the International Ceramic Contest in Mino, Japan in 2002.
KRISTINA RISKA
Born 1960, Finland
EDUCATION
1986-87 Guest artist at Arabia Factory
1985 Trainee at Studio Bente Hansen, Copenhagen
1985 Assistant for Minni Lukander at Arabia
1984 Trainee at Arabia Factory
1979-84 Helsinki University of Art and Design
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2019 Design Miami / Basel, Hostler Burrows, Basel, Switzerland
Collect, Hostler Burrows, Saatchi Gallery, London
FOG Design + Art, Hostler Burrows, San Francisco, CA
2018 Design Miami, Hostler Burrows, Miami, FL
Salon Art + Design, Hostler Burrows, New York, NY
Hostler Burrows, New York, NY
Galleri Format, Oslo, Norway
Design Miami / Basel, Hostler Burrows, Basel, Switzerland
The Line, Lokal, Helsinki, Finland
2017 Design Miami, Hostler Burrows, Miami, FL
Salon Art + Design, Hostler Burrows, New York, NY
Design Miami / Basel, Hostler Burrows, Basel, Switzerland
FOG Design + Art, Hostler Burrows, San Francisco, CA
2016 Design Miami, Hostler Burrows, Miami, FL
Salon of Art + Design, Hostler Burrows, New York, NY
Expo Chicago, Hostler Burrows, Chicago, IL
Design Miami / Basel, Hostler Burrows, Basel, Switzerland
Winter Antiques Show, Hostler Burrows, New York, NY
2015 Design Miami, Hostler Burrows, Miami, FL
Expo Chicago, Hostler Burrows, Chicago, IL
Design Miami / Basel, Hostler Burrows, Basel, Switzerland
Kristina Riska: New Work, Hostler Burrows, New York, NY
2014 Design Miami, Hostler Burrows, Miami, FL
Six Women, Hostler Burrows, New York, NY
2012 Arabia 9th floor, Helsinki
2011 Gallery Angelo, Pori
Gallery För Bord Dukning, Copenhagen, Denmark
2010 Gallery Inger Molin, Stockholm, Sweden
Westerwald Ceramic Museum, Germany
Gallery Marianne Heller, Heidelberg, Germany
2009 Collection exhibition, Espoo Museum of Modern Art
Arabia Gallery, Helsinki
Ceramic Museum Grimmeshus, Denmark
2008 Gallery Oljemark, Helsinki
Gallery Kaj Forsblom, Helsinki
Musee Des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, France
2007 4+ Arthall, Luxemburg
4+ Arthall, Bruxelles, Belgium
Gallery Inger Molin, Stockholm, Sweden
Forum Box, Helsinki
2006 Private exhibition, Design-Museum, Helsinki
Transformations, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australia
2005 Schikaragi, Japan
Design-Museum together with Paula Winokur and Margaret West
2004 European Ceramics, Fiskars
Q-exhibition, Fiskars
Matter and Spirit, Jyväskylä
Gallery Philippe Denys, Bruxelles, Belgium
2003 Nordic Cool, Washington, USA
Q-exhibition, Tokyo, Japan
2002 The International Ceramics Exhibition, Mino, Japan
Arabia Gallery, Helsinki
Poetics of Clay, Design-Museum, Helsinki
2001 Cheongju International Craft Biennale, Cheongju, Korea
Poetics of Clay, Philadelphia, USA
Private Exhibition with Dörte Behm, Rheine, Germany
2000 Blue, Scandinavian exhibition, Ceramic Museum Grimmeshus, Denmark
The First Nordic Ceramic Triennale, Berlin, Germany
Retretti Art Center, Punkaharju
Private exhibition with painter Tiina Heiska, Gallery Johan S., Helsinki
Gallery Pictor, Vihti
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS, CONTINUED
1999 Lahti Art Museum
1998 Finnish Design, Design Forum, Helsinki
1997 Five Women, Design Forum, Helsinki
1996 Private exhibition, Arabia Gallery, Helsinki
1993 Ceramic Art 1993, Art Museum Lappeenranta
Different, Museum of Modern Art, Helsinki
1992 Art and Industry, Design-Museum, Helsinki
1991 Thoughts in Clay, Gallery Pictor, Vihti
Ceramic Art 1991, Art Museum Lappeenranta
Designers under the Spotlight, Kaapelihalli, Helsinki
Private exhibition together with Kimmo Friman, Gallery Kluuvi, Helsinki
1990 Three Ceramics, Gallery Johan S., Porvoo
Design Museum, Helsinki
1989 Thirteen rooms, Gallery Wanha Satama, Helsinki
1988 Touch, Arthall, Taidehalli, Helsinki
1987 Light and Matter, City’s Art Museum, Helsinki
Metaxis, Design Museum, Helsinki
Private exhibition Fragile Time, Arabia Gallery, Helsinki
1986 Gallery Bronda, Helsinki
Arabia Gallery, Helsinki
1985 Arabia Gallery, Helsinki
1984 Design Museum, Helsinki
AWARDS AND GRANTS
2008 Honorary Award, Mino, Japan
2007 Finnish Cultural Foundation
2006 The State of Finland Art Commissions, working grant
for 5 years
2003 Finnish Cultural Foundation, working grant for 3 years
2002 Silver medal, Mino, Japan
1998 Honorary award- Finnish Design 10 exhibition
1997 The State of Finland Central Commission for the Arts,
working grant for 5 years
1995 Suomi-prize
D’Oro medal, Faenza, Italy
1994 The State of Finland Art Commissions, working grant for 1 year
1992 Finnish Cultural Foundation
1991 The State of Finland Art Commissions, working grant for 1/2 years
PROJECTS
2011 Jury member in International Ceramics Competition, Mino, Japan
2010 Visiting teacher at School of Architecture, University of Illinois
Stonefloor at Kuopio Prison
2005 GEKKO sculpture at Kamppi Metro Station, together with Kati
Tuominen-Niittylä and Pekka Paikkari
KoKo-dish for Arabia, together with Kati Tuominen-Niittylä
2004 ”Northern Latitude”- sculpture at Olympic Park and Ceramics
and Sculpture, Athens
1993 Visiting teacher at University College of Arts, Crafts and Design
(Konstfack), Stockholm
MEMBERSHIPS
Arabia Art Department Society
Finnish Art Association
Ornamo
IAC International Academy for Ceramics
COLLECTIONS
Finland’s state
Sweden’s state
City of Helsinki
Ulster Museum, Belfast, Ireland
Wayne State College, Minnesota, USA
Design Museum Helsinki
Gifu Museum, Japan
Saastamoinen Foundation
