Reunited is a monumental stand-alone glass sculpture by the Finnish designer and architect Ilkka Suppanen (born 1968).
The unique texture of the glass sculpture, created in Murano, reminds the viewer of ice or lace. The piece is at once both fragile and powerful, displaying innovation in glass work while simultaneously fitting within the Nordic design tradition. By employing a technique that emphasizes experimentalism and craftsmanship, Suppanen manages to create something timeless and enduring.
The themes of Ilkka Suppanen’s glass sculptures, made in Claudio Tiozzo’s glass studio, arise from the circulation of material. Suppanen is interested in how glass as a material remains clean and reusable; how it is never ultimately broken, as it can be reintegrated and reformed again and again. Additionally, the different states of water inspired the artist while creating pieces for this exhibit.
Reunited III
2012
Murano glass
Ca 70 cm (D) x 9 cm (H)
Unique piece
llkka Suppanen is one of the world’s best known contemporary Finnish designers. Ilkka Suppanen studied architecture at Helsinki University of Technology, and Interior and Furniture Design at the University of Art and Design Helsinki. He completed his studies at Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam in 1992 and in 1995 he founded Studio Suppanen. His works have been showcased in prestigious international exhibits, such as the Venice Architecture Biennale and in the MoMA in New York, and his works are part of important museum collections such as the Centre Pompidou, the Stedelijk Museum, the Museum of Andewante Kunst, Cologne and the Helsinki Design Museum. Suppanen has won several domestic and international awards such as the Torsten and Wanja Söderberg Prize, The Finnish Cultural Foundation Award and the Ilmari Tapiolassa Prize.
