Björn Weckström’s sculptures and world-renowned jewellery at the Didrichsen Art Museum, Helsinki, from 11 September 2021 to 30 January 2022
The exhibition Man, Machine and Jewellery at the Didrichsen Art Museum showcases works by the internationally renowned Finnish sculptor and jewellery designer Björn Weckström. The exhibition includes, among others, bronze sculptures inspired by Greek mythology and a jewellery exhibition with Kalevala Koru comprising the artist’s most famous pieces – such as Planetoid Valleys, the necklace seen in the first Star Wars movie.
The Didrichsen Art Museum’s exhibition Björn Weckström – Man, Machine and Jewellery celebrates the multitalented artist’s long career. The exhibition presents Weckström’s sculptures and jewellery from the 1960s to the present day. Having originally been planned as the artist’s 85th anniversary exhibition, it was delayed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We are delighted to finally open this long-planned and highly awaited exhibition,” says Museum Director Maria Didrichsen.
The exhibition was created in collaboration with the artist, who worked with the exhibition team to select a representative sample of works from his own collection.
“It is a great honour to hold an exhibition at Didrichsen Art Museum. The museum has always maintained a high and diverse exhibition profile. Additionally, its personnel comprises brilliant professionals who have been a joy to work with,” Weckström says.
Multifaceted sculptor
Weckström audaciously uses diverse materials in his work. The exhibition includes sculptures made of bronze, stone and glass, as well as a meditative set of illuminating acrylic works. There are also oil paintings made onto sailcloth, which bring together Weckström two callings: fine art and sailing.
In Weckström’s works, ancient mythology meets modern scientific achievements and fantasies related to space exploration, genetic manipulation and the mechanical revolution. The exhibition’s large, shiny bronze sculptures of human machines, dating from the 1980s and 1990s, convey a vision of a future accelerated by technological advancements.
“What I strive for is that every line of a sculpture should contain excitement and have perfect form. When this is achieved, the work irradiates energy into the space.” – Björn Weckström
Collaboration with Kalevala Koru
Björn Weckström has received international acclaim as a jewellery designer since the 1960s.
The jewellery exhibition, created for Didrichsen in collaboration with Kalevala Koru, presents
86 pieces of jewellery from various points in Weckström’s career. They include Flowering
Wall, which constituted the artist’s international breakthrough in the mid-1960s, and
Planetoid Valleys, the necklace seen in the first Star Wars movie, which is one of his bestknown
pieces.
Weckström’s most acclaimed pieces of jewellery were designed for the Finnish company
Lapponia Jewelry. Lapponia was acquired by Kalevala Koru in 2005 and has formed a part of
the Kalevala brand since then.
The pieces in the exhibition are on loan from the artist, from Kalevala Koru Oy and from the
housing company Koy Tapiolan Vesiputoustalo. There is also one piece that belongs to
Didrichsen’s own collection.
Audio tours and podcast episode
The Didrichsen Art Museum is producing a series of audio tours related to the large bronze
sculptures in the exhibition, which will be freely available on the museum’s website. A new
episode will also be added to the museum’s podcast, A Cultural Oasis, in which Björn
Weckström discusses his life and art.
Exhibitions
Björn Weckström – Man, Machine and Jewellery
11/9/2021–30/1/2022
Opening hours
Tue–Sun 11 am–6 pm
Closed Mondays
Admission
EUR 16/14
Free for persons under the age of 18 and over 75
Museum Card
Admission is free to the sculpture park
