Anna-Maija Bäckman
The Finnish Crafts Organisation Taito and the Centre for Folk Art Production ÚĽUV have cooperated for several years. Result of such cooperation is, for example PEKNÔ. SK, an exhibition of Slovak arts and crafts that travelled around sixteen towns in Finland in 2006 and 2007. The exhibition tour started in Tampere and ended in Helsinki in December 2007.
Now, the cooperation remains active by presenting the Finish arts and crafts and industry in Slovakia. Being officially opened on March 13, 2008 in the ÚĽUV Gallery in Bratislava, Slovakia, our exhibition named Taito Finland visits five Slovak towns and returns back to Finland in January 2009. The tour starts in Bratislava, then it moves to Banská Bystrica, Rimavská Sobota, Košice, Poprad and Ružomberok.
The exhibition´s mission is to present rich cultural traditions of Finland and to acquaint people with contemporary situation in our arts and crafts. They now represent an activity borrowing from traditions, which remain modern and creative. We seek, through this exhibition, to support cooperation between our countries and establish a new form of cooperation and prepare opportunities for our makers to establish contacts in arts and crafts sector.
Regional associations of makers and arts and crafts entrepreneurs from different parts of Finland have provided their works for the Taito Finland exhibition. Many exhibited works were made based on traditions. The other part of the exhibition presents contemporary design. Visitors may see textile products starting from traditional wall carpets ryijy and ending with knitted products, ceramics, wood objects, glass jewellery and reed products.