Blazing Colours – Alma Jantunen’s glass sculptures at Hvitträsk in September
Alma Jantunen is a glass artist of a new generation; 24 pieces by her will be displayed at Hvitträsk Studio 8–30 September 2021. All of the blazingly colourful works on display are from this year, and five of them are inspired by the national romantic environment at Hvitträsk and the lush nature surrounding it.
Glass artist Alma Jantunen works at the Glass Village in Nuutajärvi, where glass has been produced continuously for over 200 years. The artist’s works are often inspired by nature, plants and animals – motifs like bonsai trees and cactuses are typical of her.
Over twenty pieces will be on display at Hvitträsk: ten bonsai trees, large cactuses and a brand new series of five pieces made specifically for Hvitträsk that radiates the mood of the house.
“At one point, I was a huge fan of National Romanticism and Hvitträsk, so the National Romantic colour scheme is very familiar to me. The presence of nature around the house also speaks to me,” Jantunen says.
The new sculpture series at Hvitträsk illustrates the soft and maternal mood of a nursery, the celebration of freedom and creativity, and the lake scenery opening up from the pine woods.
“The sculpture called ‘Pine’ was created when I thought that the pines at Hvitträsk deserve a work of art in their own right. They are such an inseparable part of this whole. In turn, ‘The Wild Gardener’ is a playful piece that represents the creativity that flowed through the studio home of the three architects,” Jantunen says.
Blazing colours and natural soft shapes of glass
The name of the exhibition entity, Hot Colours, refers to the intensive use of colour, but also to the fluid molten glass processed through glassblowing, the temperature of which climbs up to 1,000 degrees Celsius.
Jantunen’s works are unique free-blown glass sculptures. It is characteristic of her to play with vivid colours and leave the natural roundness and softness of glass into the works. These shapes are produced when the smooth molten glass is formed by hand, without moulds.
All works have been handmade by Alma Jantunen. A working group consisting of Johannes Rantasalo, Matti Vilppula, Jenni Sorsa and Mia Merikanto helps with the realisation of the ideas.
Alma Jantunen is a multi-award-winning glass artist who graduated from the Wetterhoff school of arts and crafts as an artisan in the glass industry, i.e. a glassblower. She works as a glassblower in Nuutajärvi, at a glass studio named Lasisirkus. This year, Jantunen received the art award of the Finnish Post for her work. Her work has also been supported by Arts Promotion Centre Finland.