Image: EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art
EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art is presenting Sasu Takko’s ‘Ihokas’ collection this summer, following its selection for the EMMA Prize at Aalto University’s annual Näytös/Näyttely26 event in May. The museum’s newsletter says the collection is now on view at EMMA and will be experienced there during the summer season.
The collection brings together fashion, sculpture and design in a way the museum says sits closely with EMMA’s own interests. In its prize announcement, EMMA described Takko as working “in the spirit of EMMA” at the boundary between sculpture, fashion and design, exploring the line between usability and non-usability. The jury singled out the designer’s technical precision and subtle approach to demanding materials.
According to EMMA’s published text, ‘Ihokas’ addresses beauty ideals and material-led design. The collection suggests that social norms shape the way people look at the human body, while imperfections can reveal more honest and vulnerable aspects. Takko has used processed wood and transparent leather as the primary materials, and the museum notes that the leather shows variation and interesting deviations in colour.
The prize was awarded by a jury of EMMA specialists. In the museum’s announcement of the award, director Krist Gruijthuijsen said the collection challenges traditional beauty ideals while also reflecting a long-term interest in embodiment, vulnerability, and the relationship between humans and animals. He added that the use of transparent leather appears both delicate and strong, and that the technique reveals the expressive power of craftsmanship and material imperfection.
A photograph supplied by EMMA identifies the work as Sasu Takko’s ‘Ihokas’ collection and notes that it is a bachelor’s thesis at Aalto University. The museum’s newsletter also says the collection was awarded at Aalto University’s Show/Exhibition26 in May. Beyond that, EMMA does not provide additional biographical information about the designer in the source material.
The summer display adds another contemporary design and fashion project to EMMA’s programme, alongside the museum’s broader focus on art, design and collection-based presentations. EMMA is located at Näyttelykeskus WeeGee in Espoo, and the museum’s shop and other visitor services are listed separately in the same newsletter. For ‘Ihokas’, the verified detail remains the prize-winning collection itself and its current summer showing at EMMA.
