The ceramic sculptor Kim Simonsson (b. 1974, Finland) works figuratively, animating a mythic cast of characters. Typically, his stoneware and porcelain figures take the form of anarchic and self-reliant children immersed in the textures of the natural world; outfitted in moss, foliage, branches, flowers, and feathers, their glazed and nylon fiber surfaces radiate the vibrant, electric green of new growth on the forest floor. Other works, finished with an array of monochromes in blue, white, and gold, conjure the pure tones of the elements.
The artist is particularly well-known for his series of Moss People, a tribal society of young people who have broken off from industrialized civilization to live in accord with nature. Grounded in Finnish folklore, post-apocalyptic film, and fairy tales, these sculptures evoke the prospect of freedom, wildness, and the fantastical reveries of childhood. As Simonsson puts it, “What I am trying to do in my art is to create something that is of an informal sublime beauty … I want to make work that is honest and true to my way of expressing myself.”
Simonsson is based between Fiskars and Helsinki, Finland. He received a master’s degree from the University of Arts and Design in Helsinki and has exhibited widely, including at the Ålands Konstmuseum, Mariehamn, Finland; the Didrichsen Art Museum, Helsinki, Finland; KWUM Karin Widnäs Museum, Fiskars, Finland; Musée d’Ansembourg, Liège, Belgium; MoCA Busan, South Korea; and the Wäinö Aaltonen Art Museum, Turku, Finland. Simonsson is the recipient of the Pro Finlandia Prize, the Svenska Kulturfonden Prize, and the Walter Runeberg Foundation Award. His work is held in the collections of the Didrichsen Art Museum, Gothenburg Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Ceramic Art Gifu, McEvoy Foundation for the Arts, National Museum in. Oslo, Shigaraki Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art, Tampere Art Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, among others.
EDUCATION
2000
Master of Arts, University of Arts and Design, Helsinki, Finland
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2025
Waking Dreams and Other Stories, Söderlångvik Museum, Söderlångvik, Finland
2024
Children of the Forest, Galerie NeC, Paris, France
Grower, Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki, Finland
Moss Giants, Amos Rex, Helsinki, Finland
Moss People, Academy of Ceramics Gmunden, Gmunden, Austria
Moss People, Schlossmuseum Linz, Linz, Austria
2023
Kim Simonsson, L’Idole Endormie des Moss People (The Sleeping Idol of the Moss People), Carte Blance, Espace Monte-Cristo, Fondation Villa Datris, Paris, France
Memorials, Alzueta Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
2022
Moss Cabbage People, Galerie NeC, Paris, France
Silhouettes, Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki, Finland
2021
Future Dream, Jason Jacques Gallery, New York, NY
Moss People, Iyouth Studio, Shanghai, China
Small Monuments, KWUM Museum, Fiskars, Finland
2020
Moss People and Other Stories, Alzueta Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
2019
Chosen, Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki, Finland
Santeri Tuori and Kim Simonsson, Ålands Konstmuseum, Mariehamn, Finland
Stories at Campfire, Galerie NeC, Paris, France
2018
Treasure Hunters, Galerie Forsblom, Stockholm, Sweden
2017
Shaman Party, Jason Jacques Gallery, New York, NY
2016
Little Prince and Moss People, Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki, Finland
Moss People, Galerie NeC, Paris, France
2015
Moss People, Jason Jacques Gallery, New York, NY
2014
Invisible Hand, Galleria Sculptor, Helsinki, Finland
2012
Chameleon, Gallery Heino, Helsinki, Finland
Kim Simonsson, Galerie Favardin & de Verneuil, Paris, France
2011
Ponytail, Nancy Margolis Gallery, New York, NY
2010
Parallel Reality, Elverket, Tammisaari, Finland
Parallel Reality, Musee d'Ànsembourg, Liège, Belgium
2009
Animal Gaze, Galleria Heino, Helsinki, Finland
Duality, Wonderland Art Space, Copenhagen, Denmark
Pro Arte Award Exhibition, Didrichsen Art Museum, Helsinki, Finland
Sculptures, Galerie Favardin & de Verneuil, Paris, France
The Golden Deer, Retretti, Punkaharju, Finland
2008
Invisible World, Nancy Margolis Gallery, New York, NY
Sculptures, Finnish Cultural Institute, Oslo, Norway
Variations on a Decoration, Wäinö Aaltonen Art Museum, Turku, Finland
2007
Den Osynliga Hjorten (The Invisible Deer), Finnish Cultural Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
Dreams and Disappointments II, Herrmann & Wagner Gallery, Berlin, Germany
Kotona II (At Home II), Karin Widnäs, Fiskars, Finland
Sculptures, Taidesalonki Husa, Tampere, Finland
2006
Camouflage, Gallery Heino, Helsinki, Finland
Huoltamo, Tampere, Finland
2005
Dislocated Clay and a Transformative Mirror, NCECA Maryland, Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
Sculptures, Arabia Museum’s Gallery, Helsinki, Finland
Nancy Margolis Gallery, New York, NY
2004
Young Artist of the Year 2004, Tampere Art Museum, Tampere, Finland
2003
K9 and NIKE, Kluuvi Gallery, Helsinki, Finland
2000
Realm of the Senses, Studio Hyöryllistä, Turku, Finland
1999
Ideaali (Ideal), Gallery of the Fine Arts Academy, Helsinki, Finland
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025
Mille et une Vies (One Thousand and One Lives), Espace Monte-Cristo, Fondation Villa Datris, Paris, France
Tête à Tête: Hugo Alonso et Kim Simonsson, Alzueta Gallery Paris, France
The Group Exhibition, Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki, Finland
2024
New Portraits, Alzueta Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
Together_Montaignes Cat, Gyeonggi Museum Of Contemporary Ceramic Art, Gyeonggi, South Korea
2023
Atelier Life: Contemporary Ceramics of the Arabia Art Department Society, Hvitträsk Museum, Kirkkonummi, Finland
Galerie Forsblom's 45th Anniversary Exhibition, Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki, Finland
Hey! Céramique.s, Halle Saint Pierre, Paris, France
Northern Latitude 60,20890, Iittala and Arabia Design Center, Helsinki, Finland
Utopian Scenario about Nature, MoCA Busan, Busan, South Korea
2022
Human and Animal, Iwate Museum of Art, Morioka, Japan
Lille3000: Utopia, Rue Faidherbe and Garden of Eden, Lille, France
Manifesto of Fragility, Lyon Contemporary Biennale, Lyon, Paris
Sculptures, KWUM, Fiskars Village, Finland
Toucher Terre (Touching the Earth), Fondation Villa Datris, L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, France
Überhund (Superdog), Salo Art Museum, Salo, Finland
2021
Beautés Équivoques (Equivocal Beauties), Fondation Bernardaud, Limoges, France
Human and Animal, Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu, Japan
2020
Call to the Wild / L’appel de la Nature, Maison Louis Carré, Bazoches-sur-Guyonne, France
In the Shade of the Forest, Halosenniemi Museum, Tuusula, Finland
Luonnon Edestä (Before Nature), Poikilo Museot, Kouvola, Finland
Skulptur i Pilane, Klövedal, Sweden
2019
Beyond the Vessel: Myths, Legends, and Fables in Contemporary Ceramics, Mesher, Istanbul, Turkey
From the Shadows of Night to the Brightness of Day, Makasiini Contemporary, Turku, Finland
Pro Arte Award Exhibition, Didrichsen Art Museum, Helsingfors, Finland
KWUM Studio Ceramics Museum, Fiskars, Finland
2018
About Clay: Pearls of European Ceramic Art in Fiskars, The Copper Smithy, Fiskars, Finland
Alice in Wonderland, Art and Museum Centre Sinkka, Kerava, Finland
Ceramics Now: The Faenza Prize Is 80 Years Old, The International Museum of Ceramics, Faenza, Italy
Monkey and Waterfall: Pictures of Our Climate, Sara Hilden Art Museum, Tampere, Finland
No Time, The McEvoy Foundation for the Arts, San Francisco, CA
Northern Exposure: Contemporary Nordic Arts Revealed, Nordic Museum, Seattle, WA
The Fantastical Worlds of Kim Simonsson, The American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis, MN
2017
Kim Simonsson and Kalevala Koru, Galleri Hanaholmen, Espoo, Finland
2016
Human Condition, #TheHospital, Los Angeles, CA
Pyhäniemi 2016, Hollola, Finland
Wild Strawberries, Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art, Turku, Finland
2015
Skills, ØKS, Fredrikstad, Norway
Summer Exhibition, Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki, Finland
9 Seasons, Embassy of Finland, Finlandia Hall, Washington, DC
2014
Blurred Lines, Fiskars Village, Finland
Helsinki Fat Clay, Galerie Heller, Heidelberg, Germany
Helsinki Fat Clay, Gallery Arabia, Helsinki, Finland
Melancholy, Villa Roosa, Orimattila, Finland
Photographs and Sculptures, Lahti Art Museum, Lahti, Finland
Skills,The Lofoten Islands, Norway
The Adidas Man and the Strongwoman, Wäinö Aaltonen Museum, Turku, Finland
2013
Arabia Art and Design, Arabia Art Department, Artium, Fukuoka, Japan
Happy End?, Helsinki Art Museum, Tennispalatsi, Helsinki, Finland
Joy, Copper Smithy, Fiskars Village, Finland
Soul and Body, Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY
Spark, Critical Contemporary Art and Design, Granary, Fiskars Village, Finland
The Magic of Ceramics, The Museum of Ceramic Art, Hyogo, Japan
The Young Artists of the Year: 1985–2012, Gumbostrand, Sipoo, Finland
1:10 – Arabia Art Department 10 Years, Gallery Arabia, Helsinki, Finland
2012
Bo Haglund and Kim Simonsson, Helsinki Airport Art Gallery, Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, Vantaa, Finland
Camouflage, Kiasma, Helsinki, Finland
Helsinki Fat Clay, Faenza and Milan, Italy
Lucid Dreaming, Pietarsaari, Finland
Tendenser (Trends), Galleri F 15, Moss, Norway
Shigaraki Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art, Japan
2011
Close Your Eyes and Tell Me What You See, Turku Observatory, Finland; Gothenburg Museum of Art, Gothenburg, Sweden
Reflective Shadow, Ordrupgaard, Copenhagen, Denmark
The Figuratives, Oude Kerk, Delft, The Netherlands
2010
Best of Wonderland, Wonderland Art Space, Copenhagen, Denmark
Collect, Galleria Norsu, Saatchi Gallery, London
Feuer und Eis (Fire and Ice), Keramikmuseum Westerwald, Höhr-Grenzhausen, Germany
Korero: Taiwan Ceramics Biennale, Yingge Ceramics Museum, Yingge, Taiwan
One Hundred Years of Sculpture in Finland, Väinö Aaltonen Art Museum, Turku, Finland
Portraiture beyond Likeness, Wayne Art Center, Philadelphia, PA
Vom Dunkeln Geschluckt (Swallowed by Darkness), Ars Auttoinen, Auttoinen, Finland
Finland Platform for Art Paris, Grand Palais, Paris, France
2009
Miami Warm Up, Nancy Margolis Gallery, New York, NY
Prospection and Perspective, Galerie Favardin & de Verneuil, Paris, France
Visuell Förvirring (Visual Confusion), Museum of Art in Åland, Mariehamn, Finland
2008
Confrontational Ceramics, The Arts Exchange, White Plains, NY
Every Body Counts, Vestfossen Kunstlaboratorium, Vestfossen, Norway
Incertitude de la Vision (Uncertainty of Vision), Tour & Taxis, Brussels, Belgium
KunstKörperlich – KörperKunstlich Part 2, Kunsthalle, Dominikanerkirche, Osnabruck, Germany
La Position de la Terre (The Position of the Earth), CRAC Alsace / Centre Rhénan d'Art Contemporain, Alsace, France
Tulessa Syntynyt (Born in Fire), Makasiini, Fiskars, Finland
International Biennale of Contemporary Ceramic Art Vallauris, Vallauris, France
2007
Evil Eye, Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki, Finland
I Would Like to Be a Dog, Rauma Art Museum, Rauma, Finland
Present 2007, Bomuldsfabriken Kunsthall, Aredal, Norway
Silent Violence, Oulu Art Museum, Oulu, Finland
XII Mäntän Kuvataideviikot (XII Mäntän Art Week), Mänttä, Finland
Herrmann & Wagner Gallery and Gallery Heino, Brussels Art Fair, Brussels, Belgium
2006
Another Worlds Part II, Arario Gallery, Cheonan, South Korea
Helsinki International, Korjaamo, Helsinki, Finland
Purnu Summer Exhibition, Purnu, Finland
Set, Forum Box, Helsinki, Finland
Six Rooms, Porvoo Art Factory, Porvoo, Finland
Ungsfärskt (Fresh), Gallery Sinne and Elverket, Helsinki and Tammisaari, Finland
2005
Japan Pop, Tennis Palace Art Museum, Helsinki, Finland
Trans Ceramic-Art, Third Ceramic Biennale Korea, Icheon, South Korea
2003
One Hundred Years of Finnish Ceramics, Design Museum Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Wegway Show, SPIN Gallery, Toronto, Canada
Toronto Outdoor Art Show, Toronto, Canada
2002
Group Show, The Palace, Toronto, Canada
Inverno (Winter), Este Gallery, Toronto, Canada
2001
Biennale of Contemporary Ceramic Art, Chateauroux, France
Emerging Sculptors, Canadian Sculpture Center, Toronto, Canada
Made in LAC, Living Arts Center, Missisisauga, Canada
2000
K2000, Lappeenranta Art Museum, Lappeenranta, Finland
Think, Ateneum, Helsinki, Finland
1999
Nenonen, Partanen, Lerviks, Persson, Simonsson, Into Galleria, Helsinki, Finland
1998
Contemporary Glass Art, Studio Mezzo, Helsinki, Finland
Keramik 98, Konstfacket, Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm International Art Fair, Gallery Taik, Stockholm, Sweden
1997
Glass and Ceramic in the Spotlight, Gallery Taik, Helsinki, Finland
Glass and Light, Tampere Modern Art Museum, Tampere, Finland
GRANTS AND AWARDS
2025
Honorary Doctorate, Aalto University, The School of Arts, Design, and Architecture, Aalto, Finland
2024
Pro Finlandia Prize
2022
Posti Art Award
2014
5-Year Artist Working Grant in Design (2015–2019), Arts Promotion Centre
2013
Art Prize, Svenska Kulturfonden
2009–12
Artist in Residence, Villa Snäcksund, Tammisaari, Finland
2012
William Thuring Prize
2009
Pro Arte Award, Didrichsen Art Museum, Helsinki, Finland
2008
Walter Runeberg Foundation Award
Svenska Kulturfonden Two-Year Artist Grant
2006
Walter Runeberg Foundation Award
Stina Krook Foundation Award
2005
Frame-Fund Exhibition Scholarship
Svenska Kulturfonden Two-Year Artist Grant
Arts Council of Finland Travel Grant
2004
Young Artist of the Year, Tampere Art Museum, Tampere, Finland
Artist of the Month (July), Frame-Fund
2003
Best in Show, Toronto Outdoor Art Show
Svenska Kulturfonden One-Year Grant
2001
Svenska Kulturfonden Project Grant
Paolo Foundation Project Grant
1998
University of Arts and Design Helsinki
PUBLIC SCULPTURES
Emma, Tapiola Metro Station, Espoo, Finland
Gmunden, Austria
Kirkonkylän Kampus, Tuusula, Finland
Kotka Sculpture Park, Kotka, Finland
Kupittaa Park, Turku, Finland
Mustio School, Finland
Roubaix, France
Tivoli, Copenhagen, Denmark
Yrkeshögskolan Sydväst, Tammisaari, Finland
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Amos Rex, Helsinki, Finland
Arario Gallery, Cheonan, South Korea
Design Museum, Helsinki, Finland
Didrichsen Art Museum, Helsinki, Finland
EMMA Espoo Museum of Modern Art, Espoo, Finland
Fondation Villa Datris, L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, France
Gothenburg Museum of Art, Gothenburg, Sweden
Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu, Japan
Heino Collection, Helsinki, Finland
Helsinki City Art Museum, Helsinki, Finland
Kone Foundation, Helsinki and Mynämäki, Finland
Kunstsilo, Kristiansand, Norway
McEvoy Foundation for the Arts, San Francisco, CA
Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Helsinki, Finland
The National Museum, Oslo, Norway
Nelimarkka Foundation, Helsinki, Finland
Oulu Art Museum, Oulu, Finland
OÖ Landes-Kultur GmbH, Linz, Austria
Pro Artibus Foundation, Ekenäs, Finland
Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI
Sara Hildén Art Museum, Tampere, Finland
Shigaraki Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art, Shigaraki, Japan
Tampere Art Museum, Tampere, Finland
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
Ville de Châteauroux, France
Wäinö Aaltonen Museum, Turku, Finland
21c Museum, United States
