Swedish designers pay tribute to a living legend in glass art.

The exhibition “Hello Oiva! A Greeting from Sweden” at the Hanasaari Cultural Centre in Espoo (Finland) tells the story of the profound impression glass artist Oiva Toikka has made on generations of Swedish craftspeople and designers.

THE LEGACY OF TOIKKA LIVES ON

Toikka has not only influenced Finnish design but has also had a major impact on Swedish cultural life. He worked for many years as a professor of ceramics and glass at Konstfack. Toikka’s imaginative, original world is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for many Swedish designers.

Oiva Toikka, Kenneth Williamsson, Signe Persson-Melin with glassblowers at Pukeberg.

The exhibition “Hello Oiva! A Greeting from Sweden” features Inger Andersson, Kina Björklund, Per B Sundberg, Mia E Göransson, Marianne Hallberg, Annika Jarring, Barbro Johansson, Gunilla Kihlgren, Simon Klenell, Åsa Lindström, Masayoshi Oya, Signe Persson Melin, Carina Seth Andersson, Pia Törnell and Kennet Williamsson. All designers and craftspeople who have been invited have a personal relationship with Toikka, which is reflected in the works created for the exhibition.

Hanasaari – Cultural Centre for Sweden and Finland

http://www.hanaholmen.fi

Photo: Ola@hollsten.com