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The winner was chosen by Docent, PhD Harri Kalha and the ceramic artist Nathalie Lautenbacher who unanimously selected the Berlin-based artist Hinrich Kröger. “The award recognizes a furiously prolific artist whose exuberant work pushes the boundaries of good taste by ingeniously fusing the exquisite fragility of porcelain with trash aesthetics and erotica,” comments Kalha and Lautenbacher. 

Kröger studied both ceramics and visual arts, which can be seen in the form and painterly surfaces of his work. Kröger’s gallery and studio are located in Berlin’s Mitte district, where he has been creating his unique, colorful figurines, sculptures and vessel since 1996. The internationally acclaimed artist describes his bold work as “folk art”. He is represented in numerous private and public collections, and his recent collaborations include a project with Jean-Paul Gaultier, whose collection featured images of Kröger’s art.

The Tapio Wirkkala Rut Bryk award is given in recognition of professional excellence, bold new design thinking, and skilled knowledge of materials and traditional artisanry.The prize is a replica of a miniature plywood sculpture designed by Tapio Wirkkala. The material for the sculpture is original plywood used by Wirkkala and donated to the Foundation.

The first award was given in 2016 and chosen by designers Harri Koskinen and Ilkka Suppanen. The award went to the Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola who lives and works in Italy.

Press event is on October 18th from 4 pm to 5 pm, followed by the award ceremony from 5.00 pm–6:30 pm at EMMA’s Bryk Wirkkala Visible Storage. Hinrich Kröger will be in attendance to present his work. A selection of his porcelain pieces will be on display in the for one weekend, October 18–19, 2019.

Interview requests:
Petra Wirkkala, Managing director of the Tapio Wirkkala Rut Bryk Foundation
office(at)wirkkalabryk.fi

Katarina Siltavuori, Chair of the Tapio Wirkkala Rut Bryk Foundation
katarina.siltavuori(at)gmail.com