Anssi Lassila of OOPEAA receives the State Prize for Architecture

The National Arts Council for Architecture and Design in Finland has chosen to grant the State Prize for Architecture to Anssi Lassila in recognition of his unconditional strive to achieve the highest possible quality in his work and for his uncompromising ambition to create a better environment for life.

In their award statement the members of the Arts Council note that while Lassila is especially known for his skillful work with wood, his architecture is characterized by versatility and an openness for working creatively with different materials as best suited for addressing each individual assignment. While Lassila’s work reflects a respect for tradition and an understanding of traditional methods, his architectural expression is innovative, open-minded and fresh. In his buildings a strong sense of sculptural form is joined with deep knowledge of tradition.

The granting ceremony was held today at Smolna, the banquet hall of the Cabinet of Finland, and the prize was awarded by the Minister of Culture and Sports, Sampo Terho. In addition to the state prize for architecture, also the state prizes for design, fine arts, illustration, media arts, cinema arts and photography as well as the Art Moves People award were given out at the ceremony.

The National Arts Councils operate under the Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike). State prizes are awarded annually by the seven national arts councils. State prizes can be awarded to an artist or a group of two or more artists in recognition of a work or performance in a specific art form that has been completed within the last three years and is of especially high artistic merit. State prizes can also be awarded to artists for their long-term valuable work for the benefit of a specific art form. In addition, state prizes can be awarded to art associations or other communities.

The Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike) is an expert and service agency for promoting the arts. Taike together with its arts councils and boards awards grants to professional artists and subsidies to communities in the field of the arts. Annually, Taike allocates 34 million euros as grants and subsidies.

For a news release by the National Arts Councils, see HERE.