Press release 17.11.2021
The jubilee year of Pentik, a Finnish interior design company, culminated when Jenni Haukio, the spouse of the President of the Republic, presented the annual state art award to Anu Pentik. The State Design Award is a significant recognition of the ceramic artist's unique five-decade career, during which the family business Pentik has also grown into one of Finland's most successful art industry companies.
Photo: Ville Mäkilä / TMK
State awards are among the most respected recognitions in the Finnish art scene, as the awards are decided by committees whose members are themselves practitioners of various art fields. A total of 13 state awards from the Arts Promotion Centre Finland were presented at a ceremony held on 17.11.2021. This is how Taike's architecture and design committee justified Anu Pentik's selection:
- The State Design Award is a recognition for a ceramic artist with a strong vision, who turned her hobby into a profession 50 years ago. Throughout her long career, Anu Pentik has expanded the boundaries of ceramics with her creativity and desire to experiment. Northern nature and uniqueness have been refined in her hands into works of art and utility ceramics, whose form language appeals to us Finns. Anu Pentik's life's work is art glowing in the shades of Lapland, expressing the full range of human emotions and the diversity of nature, says Tuulikki Koskinen, a special expert from Taike's architecture and design committee.
50 years of ceramic art and beauty for homes
Pentik's jubilee year is also ceramic artist Anu Pentik's 50th artist jubilee year. As a ceramic artist, Anu Pentik's success story began in the early 1970s with her distinctive "Kaamoskivi", unique ceramic candleholders. Clay as a raw material is an inseparable part of the award-winning designer:
- I want to create beauty for homes and at the same time test the boundaries of ceramics. My creativity springs from the unique nature of Posio in the north, a continuous longing for beauty and curiosity. I want to challenge myself and renew myself again and again every day. I am grateful and honored by this recognition. It gives me immense joy and creative inspiration, Anu Pentik says.
Pentik's journey is a story of will and skill, inexhaustible zest for life and passion for art. Highlights from the company's history can be found at this link.
Images: Anu Pentik as a ceramic artist: Pentik 50 years: personal and historical photos
Further information and interview requests: Minna Lampinen, Marketing Director, tel. 040 586 8262
Pentik is a story of will and skill, inexhaustible zest for life and passion for art. The family business has been beautifying Finnish homes and captivating hearts for half a century. Pentik's story began in 1971 in Posio, where the company's ceramics factory and candle workshop are still located. Today, Pentik is a versatile interior design company, with a turnover of 24 million euros in 2020. Including the online store, there are 47 company stores and Pentik employs nearly 250 people in Finland. Posio and Pentik-mäki received the Sustainable Travel Finland recognition for responsible tourism in 2020.
