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 "Arabia" Finnish Ceramics :Evolution of Modern Northern European Design "Arabia," established in 1873 in the Arabia district (Arabianranta) of Helsinki, is among Northern Europe's foremost porcelain manufacturers. Arabia's simple yet warm, high-quality everyday tableware has long been loved the world over. One of the unique features of Arabia is the scope it offers its artists for unrestricted creative activities. The ideal environment enables artists to experiment over and over again and explore designs, while at the same time creating designs for mass production. Daily ware with designs that reflect this creative freedom features among the many outstanding products Arabia has produced over the years. Signatures of Arabia products include the simple forms exemplified by the Kilta range (1953-75) designed by Kaj Franck (1911-89), as well as the vibrant patterns as seen in the Paratiisi series (1969-74; 1988 onward) designed by Birger Kaipiainen (1915-88). In postwar Finland, which saw the rise of modern apartment blocks ahead of anywhere else in the world, space-saving, functional designs were preferred for everyday tableware; at the same time, household items adorned with bold decorations that brightened up the days during the long and harsh winters were in high demand. This exhibition surveys Arabia's history through approximately 80 works with dates ranging from the pottery's earliest years to the present day. It also explores the art of Finnish ceramics through the works of individual ceramic artists who have also designed for Arabia. Coinciding with the centenary year of Kaj Franck's birth, the exhibition presents an opportunity to not only appreciate the output to date of one of Northern Europe's most iconic ceramic manufacturers, but also take a fresh look at its outstanding designs that have blended so seamlessly into everyday life.
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 Shoichi Ida: Mastering Clay Shoichi Ida (1941-2006) actively pursued his career as a modern artist since the mid-1960s, both at home and abroad with Kyoto as his base. He developed his own unique expressive activities in the field of printing, as well as through creation of oil paintings and works of paper, bronze and ceramics. The works of Shoichi Ida are mostly abstract, based on his philosophical interest in human beings. Under the main theme of human life and spirit, he sought to express his intuitive understanding of such issues as life and death, and the relationship between human beings and the world around them. In his quest to form his own relationship with the outside world, Shoichi Ida focused on the touch of clay and the traces left by his hands on the mud surface, and that eventually led him to expressive activities using clay. He engaged in furthering his mastery of clay from the 1980s to his twilight years, which included creation of large pieces using ceramic panels in Shigaraki in 1990. This exhibition introduces the art of Shoichi Ida with about 50 pieces remaining in the artist's studio, which consist of ceramics and other works and include six large pieces.
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