Studio Visit
The ceramic artist Kristina Riska
In the Studio Visit series, we visit artists and designers in their studios and workspaces — the environments where their work takes shape. Each visit offers a closer look at their process, materials, and the context in which the works emerge. In our latest visit, we meet the Finnish artist Kristina Riska.
Kristina Riska is one of Finland’s most internationally renowned ceramic artists. Her monumental sculptures are characterized by organic forms, a strong material presence, and a working process in which the pieces are built by hand, layer by layer. Over the course of several decades, she has established herself both in Finland and internationally.
It has always been especially difficult for me to define myself as an artist. I am not a designer, but perhaps not entirely a visual artist either, since the starting point of my works is often a vessel. The inner space is important to me; I see it as an area shaped by the unconscious mind. It is filled with meanings and emotions beneath the surface. I am also deeply attached to the process itself — to building the work layer by layer. One critic has compared my works to the Arte Povera tradition.
The inner space is important to me; I see it as an area shaped by the unconscious mind. It is filled with meanings and emotions beneath the surface. I am also deeply attached to the process itself — to building the work layer by layer.
My work begins with an idea—something that lingers in my mind and searches for a form. The idea can be highly abstract: something I try to give expression to through form, colour, and so on. I move through the world with my eyes open, and even the smallest things can become a source of inspiration—a wall, shadows, a mark on the asphalt. I begin by drawing different sketches, and at some point the idea clicks into place and I am ready to start building in clay.
I never think about selling my works while I am making them; the starting point of the work, and the motivation for making it, lie elsewhere. It is a fortunate thing if someone wants one of my works for themselves. I have often been told off for not signing my works. I always mean to, but somehow I forget; it does not feel important, or the signature gets scratched away beyond recognition in the making process. Once, after being reproached for it, I decided to pull myself together—only to discover later that I had signed one large piece three times in different places...
My work begins with an idea—something that lingers in my mind and searches for a form. I move through the world with my eyes open, and even the smallest things can become a source of inspiration—a wall, shadows, a mark on the asphalt.
There are many artists whom I admire, but mentally Eva Hesse and Louise Bourgeois feel close to me. The concepts beautiful - ugly - beautiful have always occupied my mind, and I often perceive my own works as almost ugly - perhaps ruggedly beautiful. Influential artists have included Georgia O'Keeffe, Hilma af Klint, and as my first acquaintance, Helene Schjerfbeck. Although all of their works have been distinctive in their own ways and have differed greatly from my own work.
Good design always comes from a need, not from trying to invent for invention’s sake. Good art also comes from a need — a need to say something, to engage in dialogue, or from a longing for beauty or harmony. I have thought of it as arranging the world’s molecules into combinations that only I can build.
Kristina Riska is currently working towards an upcoming exhibition in Stockholm in autumn 2026.
Follow Riska's work on Instagram: @kristinariska.
Photographer: Anton Reenpää
Sketches: Kristina Riska
