Fine Lines

14.03.2018 - 18.03.2018

Ceramic exhibition in the Alvar Aalto room by the designers Katariina Guthwert and Laura Pehkonen in The Nordic House, 14th-18th March 2018.

Artist Talk: Hear the artists present their project at 14:00 on Saturday, the 17th of March. The talk will be held in English.

We are two Finnish designers and visual artist working with experimental and unique ceramics. For Design March 2018 we are preparing our own separate ceramic entities, that are shown together under the name “Fine Lines”. Katariina is showing hot spring related reliefs with materials from Icelandic soil. Laura is showing Objects for One Flower, unique ceramic works that balance between utility and art. Unconventional ceramic methods used in our work are for example melting basaltic lava on ceramics (Katariina) and combining digital prints and hand painting (Laura).

Our objective is to show ceramics outside the box. Katariina is a jewelry designer and visual artist, who currently works with experimental ceramics and mixed media. Laura is a visual artist (MA) working mainly with unique ceramics, especially focusing on different ceramic surface techniques. We share a passion for making contemporary ceramics with experimental methods. We think that our works are discussion pieces about fine lines between design, art and crafts.We also share a passion for Iceland. For both of us, this is our second time exhibiting in DesignMarch.

Katariina participated in DesignMarch 2016 where she launched a necklace line ”Kopartónar” as a part of a group exhibition ”Samskot” with seven Icelandic designers. Laura took part in DesignMarch 2017. She exhibited her modular ceramic sculpture project ”Buffet- Icelandic edition” in a group exhibition ”Stólpar / Pillars” in Lækningaminjasafnið. In design March 2018 in Nordic House (Norræna Húsið) we will be presenting our different experimental angles to use ceramic as a material. Katariina stayed in Hafnarborg residency in 2016. Her works are inspired by tourism and the individual experience of a mesmerized tourist who, however, shares the moment with many others. Katariina mixed clay and souvenirs from Icelandic tourist spots: volcanic ash from Hrunalaug, mud from Hveragerði, pebbles from Reynisfara, grass from Eyjafjallajökull. She worked the clay into ceramic postcards using glaze prepared with silica from Blue Lagoon. She is preparing her work in contact with the owner of Hrunalaug.Laura ́s works are always something that is balancing on the border of utility design objects and unique art pieces. In her works, she combines different ceramic surface decoration techniques: underglaze colours, glass melting, porcelain painting and her own designed and digitally printed custom decals. With her work, Laura is exploring ways to combine old historical decoration techniques with contemporary surface techniques in a modern and crisp way.

Katariina Guthwert – visual artist and jewellery designer – katariinaguthwert.com – info@katariinaguthwert.com – @katariinaguthwert

Laura Pehkonen – visual artist and designer – laurapehkonen.com – laura.pehkonen@hotmail.com – @lpehkonen