Focus on Finland

Finnish textile artist Kustaa Saksi presents a decade of his hypnotic, intricate and beautiful jacquard weavings, along with two new special commissions, at the Design Museum, Helsinki through October 15, 2023.

EMMA, Espoo Museum of Modern Art, hosts a selection of glass, ceramics and contemporary art from the Kakkonen Collection in their newly opened 1000m2 exhibition space. This exhibition is part of an ongoing collaboration between the museum and collector.

From onion skins to bio-waste, an exhibition in Helsinki spotlights the growing movement of using natural dyes on a small and large scale.

Kunsthalle Seinäjoki presents Calix by Päivi Rintaniemi. In this solo exhibition, the Finnish artist shows a selection of her monolithic, hand-built ceramic sculptures and delicate supporting works. 

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.