Focus on Finland

Within Louis Carré’s iconic house built by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto in the late 1950s, visitors can now experience the fine artworks of three contemporary Finnish artists: Laura Laine, Kustaa Saksi and Kim Simonsson.

Juhani Lemmett’s vast collection of glass and ceramics illustrates the rich heritage of design and craft in Finland and anyone asked where to catch an all-encompassing glimpse of the country’s contemporary design movement would list Helsinki’s, Gallery Lemmetti, as an essential port of call.

Alvar Aalto Museum’s main exhibition showcases the architect’s buildings with an emphasis on the connection between architecture and the surrounding landscape. Aalto’s affinity with nature is an oft-repeated theme, but analysis of his buildings with regard to landscape architecture is still an under-researched topic.

Kati Laakso, Director of the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux in Brussels, talks to TLmag about the Institute’s unique initiative, Together Alone, created after the spread of Covid-19 to support Finnish artists during the pandemic, and how she sees the artistic community changing in this new environment.

What truths do maps truly convey about our place in the world? Continuing her methodological focus on sustainability and temporality, the newest series of works by British-Taiwanese artist Rain Wu allows us to re-imagine our relationship with these cultural artefacts.

Institut finlandais’ current presentation, Djuddot, is curated by Katja Hagelstam (gallery Lokal, Helsinki) and is produced in collaboration with Sámi Duodji Association. The exhibition is part of the official program of the Paris Design Week.

TLmag talks to Kustaa Saksi about craftsmanship and the inspiration behind ‘Archipelago’, a 26-metre long tapestry commissioned by the Finnish Government for the European Council in Brussels.

TLmag caught up with Reetta Kalajo whom curated the exhibition Interwoven. A show that investigates textile and its significance to contemporary culture.

The experimental, labour-intensive and nature-informed practice of Finnish visual artist Antti Laitinen takes over Brussels with exhibitions in Tournay-Solvay Park and La Patinoire Royale/Galerie Valérie Bach.

This new art & design Biennal in Fiskars -located in the south of Finland- engages local and international artists, designers, and creatives.

In exactly one year, Helsinki will open up Vallisaari, an archipelago located just off the shore of the Finnish capital as the home for its new Biennial. TLmag takes a look at the exciting things to come for this new event and offers a preview of it’s mesmerising location.

Fashion illustrator Laura Laine talks to TLmag about her surreal drawings and her new venture into the world of glass blown sculptures