Tero Kuitunen (b. 1986) is a Helsinki-based designer and ceramic artist who draws inspiration from the intersections of design and art and unconventional combinations. His work often explores the significance of humor and touch, aiming to create pieces that move and connect with people. His projects often begin with inspiration from materials and colours. Kuitunen works across multiple disciplines within design and art, engaging in spatial design, product design, curation, and his artistic practice.
1. Where were you born and where are you from ?
I was born in Finland, in a small coastal town called Kotka. Nowadays, I live in the capital, Helsinki, but I often go to my hometown to relax and enjoy nature.
2. What is your first memory connected to the art world ?
I have always worked with my hands and created things, but I guess I didn’t think of it as art. It felt more like playing. I remember a TV program where they were making ceramic sculptures, and it gave me the idea that you can create any form or shape from clay.
3. Have you always worked in the art/design field ?
Yes, I have always been in the art and design field. Since I was a child, I attended art schools and eventually went to art university. My parents had a bakery where I worked when I was younger, which influenced my work later on. I found many similarities between baking and making ceramics.
4. What led you to the design creation ?
I think creating has always been part of my DNA. So, I don’t think there was a specific thing that led me to it. I definitely had great teachers who encouraged me to pursue a career in the creative field.
5. How would you describe your creative process and it influences ?
I’m very hands-on. I don’t usually sketch on paper. I get ideas quite clearly in my mind and then start making a mock-up or forming the object right away. I get inspiration from many places, such as visiting museums, 1970s culture, and pop culture.
6. Could you describe a typical day of your work ?
I try to keep my daily routine consistent. I usually wake up around 8-9 a.m., have coffee, check emails, and do administrative work. Around 11-12 a.m., I head to my studio, which is about a 15-minute walk from my home. I work there for about 6 hours, then I might do some sports or meet friends. I don’t like working at night or on weekends. Of course, when there’s an exhibition or a deadline, I put in longer hours, but I try to maintain a healthy balance.
7. Why did you choose the specific materials you work with ?
I’ve always loved working with my hands, and clay/ceramics have always fascinated me. I remember digging clay from a field and sculpting something for my mother. It was a portrait of her inspired by Miss Piggy, so I made her look like a pig. But I’m sure she at least got a good laugh out of it.
8. What are the technical particularities of your creations ?
I love experimenting with different materials and colors, and figuring out how to combine them. For example, in my Boudoir Mirror, it was a challenge to find the right paint color to match the textile fringe.
9. What advices could you give to beginning artists who would like to create sculptural design works ?
Always trust your instincts and keep working. Nothing happens overnight.
10. If your works had to belong to a design movement, in which one would you define it ?
I guess contemporary craft or dopamine design.
11. What designers and artists have influenced you ?
Older Finnish designers like Maija Isola for Marimekko and Alvar Aalto have influenced the whole Finnish design field.
12. What contemporary designers do you appreciate ?
I appreciate the playful works of Jaime Hayon.
13. What contemporary artists (in any kind of art) have you been inspired by ?
The colors and techniques of Anton Alvarez’s sculptures are very inspiring.
14. If you had to summarize your creations in one word or sentence, what would it be ?
This is where the fun begins.
Proust Questionnaire with very short answers (one or a few words) :
(The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust. Other historical figures who have answered confession albums are Oscar Wilde, Karl Marx, Arthur Conan Doyle, Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Cézanne…)
1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Cold beer at sunny beach
2. What is your greatest fear?
Heights
3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
impatience
4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Cruelty
5. Which living person do you most admire?
Madonna
6. What is your greatest extravagance?
shoes
7. What is your current state of mind?
good
8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
running
9. What is the quality you most like in a man ?
kindness
10. What is the quality you most like in a woman ?
strength
11. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
like
12. Which talent would you most like to have?
signing
13. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
better hair
14. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
working as an artist
15. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
Karl Lagerfeld’s cat
16. Where would you most like to live?
Spain
17. What is your most treasured possession?
art from friends
18. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
working only for money
19. What is your favorite occupation?
baker
20. What is your most marked characteristic?
humour
21. What do you most value in your friends?
honesty
22. Who are your favorite writers?
Saara Turunen
23. Who is your hero of fiction?
Peter Pan
24. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Andy Warhol
25. Who are your heroes in real life?
My artist friends
26. What are your favorite names?
Gerard & Anastasia
27. What is it that you most dislike?
Yrjö
28. What is your greatest regret?
Not listening my gut feeling
29. How would you like to die?
Sleeping
30. What is your motto?
This is where the fun begins
