Ceramics exhibition by Paula Ruuttunen and Merja Nieminen opens in Laterna's gallery spaces on Tuesday evening May 3rd. Welcome to opening reception from 5-7 PM.

Paula Ruuttunen and Merja Nieminen are ceramics artists who met at the Glass and Ceramics centre Kuu in Mallusjoki. Kuu has a big wood firing Anagama pottery kiln. Both artists work with wood firing techniques and they both were in residency at the Guldagergaard International Ceramics Research Centre in Denmark. Ruuttunen spent the autumn of 2020 and Nieminen winter of 2022 at centre. Both sought the residency to further explore the wood firing process.

The artists describe their working methods: "Wood firing is a challenging process. Even just loading the kiln can take days and after firing one has to have the patience to wait for it to cool. Ceramic artists who work with wood firing feel that the end results are always worth the cruelling work. Wood firing produces fly ash and volatile salts which give the surfce a unique appearance."

Paula Ruuttunen sees her work as a part of long history and tradition of pottery: " I work in traditional methods, using potter's wheel and wood firing. I work to produce art that can be used daily. Objects that are part of daily lives. I find it inspiring that the objects I make find a role in people's lives and its properties are fully explored in every day use.

Merja Nieminen works with the themes of uncertainty, change and vulnerability by producing installations and sculptures. She has studied engineering, architecture and media arts at Aalto University and achitecture in Scotland and Oulu. She spent the winter 2022 in the Guldagergaard International Ceramics Research residency where she made some of the works seen in this exhibition. Nieminen works and lives in Tammisaari, Finland and she also has a studio in Savio.

Work above by Paula Ruuttunen: Pullo, photo Pihla Liukkonen

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