Image: EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art
EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art is presenting 'Collection Kakkonen', an ongoing exhibition built around the decades-long collection assembled by businessman Kyösti Kakkonen. The display brings together Finnish design and art, with a particular emphasis on contemporary and historic Finnish ceramics and glass, alongside selected textiles. According to the museum, the collection has exceptional cultural heritage value and includes more than 10,000 design and art objects dating from the late 19th century to the present.
The exhibition is housed in a dedicated space at the Näyttelykeskus WeeGee in Tapiola, Espoo. EMMA says the current presentation grew out of a 2020 cooperation agreement between Kakkonen, EMMA and the City of Espoo, after which the new exhibition space for 'Collection Kakkonen' opened in November 2022. More than 1,400 works are deposited at EMMA, forming the core of the display focused on Finnish ceramics and glass. The museum also notes that the exhibition includes rugs by well-known designers.
In EMMA’s framing, 'Collection Kakkonen' is not presented as a single linear chronology but through seven thematic sections and artist presentations that approach Finnish design from different angles. The museum highlights both art objects and limited series, ranging from design classics and rarities to works that challenge the boundaries between art and design. The collection is also described as one in which the techniques, knowledge and craftsmanship of glass and ceramics have moved through time, while designers have drawn on both international currents and local traditions.
The exhibition text also places materiality at the center of the story. Glass and ceramics are described as materials that come from nature and, when well preserved, can last forever. That emphasis on endurance and transmission runs through the collection’s presentation, which connects historical objects to contemporary practice. EMMA says the display invites visitors to explore Finnish design history through themes and makers rather than through a single fixed narrative.
'Collection Kakkonen' was curated by EMMA’s curator Aura Vilkuna and produced in cooperation with Kyösti Kakkonen, EMMA and the City of Espoo. The museum says the exhibition is always on view. It is located on the first floor of the museum and is shown with ticket categories listed for adults over 29, concession groups, and free entry for those under 18 and Museum Card holders.
Alongside the main collection display, EMMA has also developed a child-friendly adventure trail for 'Collection Kakkonen'. Children’s author Siri Kolu and theatre director Marko Kokko created an interactive story that invites visitors to solve tasks while moving through the exhibition. The museum says the three levels of tasks are designed especially for children aged four to eleven, but are suitable for all ages and require only imagination, not any equipment.
