Finnish design up close: revisiting Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale and beyond

In June 2026, the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux organised a four-day study trip to Finland inviting three Benelux-based professionals from the design field to explore the people, places, and ideas shaping Finnish design today.

From 25–28 June 2026, Marie-Anne Souloumiac, Programme Manager at Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Stan Dewaele, Project Manager at Designregio Kortrijk, Belgium; and Evelien Bracke, Curator at Design Museum Gent, Belgium, travelled from Helsinki to the towns and creative communities of Billnäs, Fiskars, and Ekenäs accompanied by Malin Bergström, Head of Programme at the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux. 

The trip centred around the Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale, an international event for contemporary art, design and architecture. Along the way, studio visits, institutional meetings, exhibitions, and cultural encounters offered an intimate look at Finland’s design ecosystem — from its rich design heritage to the practices of contemporary makers and the communities that support them. 

By bringing professionals from the Finnish and Benelux design fields into direct contact, the programme created space for exchanging ideas and generating concrete opportunities for future collaboration, exchange and international visibility for Finnish and Finland-based artists and institutions.

The programme was developed in collaboration with some of Finland’s leading institutions and organisations in the field: Ornamo Art and Design Finland, Onoma (the Cooperative of Artists, Designers and Artisans in Fiskars), and Pro Artibus and was centrally funded by Svenska Kulturfonden and the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux, supported by The Ministry of Education and Culture, Finland.

 

Galleries & museums

Photos L-R: 1. Studio Bom, Helsinki. Photo: Marie-Anne Souloumiac. 2 & 3. Studio Kukkapuro, Kauniainen. Photos by Stan Dewaele.  4. KWUM, Fiskars. Photo by Malin Bergström. 5. Lokal Gallery, Helsinki. Photo by Malin Bergström. 6. Visit to Villa Snäcksund with resident visual artist Sara Bjarland. Photo Stan Dewaele.

 

Architecture & Design Museum Helsinki

Korkeavuorenkatu 23, 00130 Helsinki
admuseo.fi

Founded in 1873 as the Museum of Applied Arts, the Architecture & Design Museum is Finland’s foremost institution for design and architecture, with a permanent collection of over 75,000 objects. It merged with the Museum of Finnish Architecture in 2024 to form its current expanded form.

 

Studio Bom

Suvilahdenkatu 7, Helsinki
wearestudiobom.com

Founded by the design duo Piia Jalkanen and Päivi Keski-Pomppu, Studio Bom combines jewellery and industrial design with a strong material sensibility and an ecological approach.

 

Studio Kukkapuro

Alppitie 23, Kauniainen
studiokukkapuro.com

Studio Kukkapuro preserves and expands the legacy of Finnish artist Irmeli (1934-2022) and designer Yrjö Kukkapuro (1933-2025), one of the most internationally respected figures in Nordic furniture design. In April 2027, Studio Kukkapuro will open to the public as both the first museum in Kauniainen and as a creative space evolving into a platform for design thinking and education, led by daughter Isa Kukkapuro-Enbom and granddaughter Ida Kukkapuro.

 

KWUM – Karin Widnäs’ Studio Ceramics Museum and Gallery

Baklurantie 12, 10470 Fiskars.
kwum.fi

Opened in 2019 alongside Karin Widnäs’ combined studio home and workshop, KWUM presents her ceramic collections and changing exhibitions by Finnish and international artists working in ceramics, glass and bronze.

 

Lokal Gallery

Annankatu 9, 00120 Helsinki
lokalhelsinki.com

Founded in 2012 by photographer Katja Hagelstam, Lokal is an award-winning gallery and concept store and a retailer of the Fiskars-based furniture brand Nikari in Helsinki’s Punavuori district. Exhibitions feature Finnish and Finland-based artists working at the intersection of fine art and craftsmanship.

 

Villa Skeppet – Alvar Aalto

Snäcksundintie 8, 10600 Tammisaari, Suomi
villaskeppet.fi

Villa Skeppet was designed by Alvar Aalto in 1969–1970 for his close friend and biographer Göran Schildt and his wife Christine. The house, named “the ship” for its prow-like form, has operated as a home museum since 2020.

 

Villa Snäcksund

Ekenäs
proartibus.fi

Villa Snäcksund is a long-term artist residency programme operated by the Pro Artibus Foundation in Ekenäs (Tammisaari). Residencies are supported by the Swedish Cultural Foundation, Kulturfonden, in Finland.

 

Artists’ studios

Onoma is a cooperative of artists, designers, and artisans founded in Fiskars in 1996, managing year-round gallery spaces and an international residency programme. Onoma has grown continuously since its founding and today serves as the living cultural backbone of Fiskars village. All of the artists’ studios listed below are part of the Onoma cooperative, located in Fiskars Village.

Photos L-R: 1. Studio of Antrei Hartikainen. Photo by Stan Dewaele. 2. Studio of Atte Pylvänäinen. 3. Studio of Mari Isopahkala. 4. Studio of Peetu Liesinen. 5 & 6. Studio of Sarah Råholm. Photos by Stan Dewaele and Malin Bergström.

 

Studio and workshop of Antrei Hartikainen

antreihartikainen.fi

Award-winning Finnish designer and master cabinetmaker Antrei Hartikainen works at the intersection of functional design and sculpture, with wood as his primary material. Based in a former metal spring factory just outside Fiskars, his studio offers an example of slow, material-led practice rooted in deep craft knowledge.

 

Studio of Atte Pylvänäinen

Instagram: @atolav

Finnish designer and cabinetmaker Atte Pylvänäinen’s work focuses on furniture and material-driven craftsmanship.

 

Studio of Mari Isopahkala

mariisopahkala.fi
Instagram: @mariisopahkala

Applied art designer Mari Isopahkala has been working with various design and art projects through her own studio and has exhibited Finnish art and design all over Europe, Asia and North America. Their family company Arkimuoto, founded by Mari Isopahkala and her husband and goldsmith Mika Paasonen produces hand made jewellery in Fiskars, Finland.

 

Studio of Peetu Liesinen

Instagram: @peetuliesinen

Peetu Liesinen draws, photographs and uses collages in his works which has been exhibited in Finland and across Europe.

 

Studio of Sarah Råholm

sararaholm.com
Instagram: @sararaholm

Textile artisan, painter and folklorist, Sarah Råholm’s work draws from nature, folklore and mythology and has been exhibited all over Nordics as well as England and the United States. The studio also works as a space for public workshops organised by Råholm.

 

Exhibitions

Photos L-R: 1. Luonnos by Pia Sirén part of the exhibition Sense of Water, Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale 2026. Photo by Stan Dewaele. 2. The exhibition Dew at Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale 2026. Photo by Malin Bergström. 3. Didi NG Wing Yin’s work The Wood Fountain (2026) part of the group exhibition At First Blush, Lokal’s 2026 summer satellite exhibition, Billnäs. Photo by Malin Bergström.

 

Fiskars Village Art and Design Biennale

7.6–30.82026

Veden taju / Känsla för vatten / Sense of Water

The Old Granary, Fiskarsintie 333, 10470 Fiskars

The main exhibition of The Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale, Sense of Water, produced by Luovi and curated by artist-researcher Riikka Latva-Somppi, occupied the Old Granary and examined how knowledge, emotions, and action shape our relationship with water, bringing together art, design, and science. 

Read more about the exhibition Sense of Water.

Kaste / Dagg / Dew

Kuparipaja, Kuparivasarantie 5, 10470 Raseborg

The Biennale’s second main exhibition, Dew, was the 32nd annual summer exhibition of the Onoma Cooperative of Artists, Designers and Artisans in Fiskars, curated and architecturally designed by Marco Casagrande, positioning the human being as part of the water cycle. 

Read more about the exhibition DEW.

Learn more about the Biennale exhibitions and participating artists.

 

Lokal’s summer satellite exhibition At First Blush

29 May-16 Aug 2026
Bruksvägen 9, 10330 Billnäs.

Lokal Gallery’s main exhibition programme relocated to Billnäs, a former ironworks village west of Helsinki in Raseborg. Curated by Katja Hagelstam, At First Blush continued Lokal’s tradition of curated group shows combining the traditions of fine arts, refined craftsmanship and collectible design.

Read more about the exhibition At First Blush.

Life Behind the Waste & Born from Mud

27.6.- 6.8.2026
Galleria360 – Onoma, Fiskarsintie 360
orrensalophoto.com

Pasi Orrensalo is a photographic artist working and living in Fiskars as a member of Onoma Cooperative. During the Biennale, his exhibition featured images from two series Orrensalo worked on between 2015 and 2019 in collaboration with choreographer and dancer Petri Kekoni. Previously his work has been exhibited mostly internationally across Europe.

 

Restaurants & hotels

Ateljé Finne

Arkadiankatu 14, Helsinki
ateljefinne.fi 

Housed in the historic studio of sculptor Gunnar Finne, the restaurant places its guests inside a working artist’s legacy with original sculptures, casts, tools, and reliefs remain on display throughout the space.

 

Fiskars Wärdshus

Fiskarsintie 326, 10470 Fiskars
wardshus.fi

Firskars Wärdshus (Wärssy) is a historic boutique hotel and restaurant in Fiskars Village. Opened in 1836, it stands as the oldest Inn in Finland.

 

Hotel Helka

Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 23, 00100 Helsinki
hotelhelka.com

Hotel Helka is housed in a 1920s building originally constructed for the YWCA of Finland, designed by Wivi Lönn, Finland’s first female architect to establish her own office. Today the hotel celebrates Finnish design throughout: Artek furniture, Aalto vases, and carefully chosen local details.

 

The Torby

Fiskarsintie 9, 10470 Fiskars
thetorby.fi 

The Torby Hotel celebrates Finnish design and highlights local makers throughout its spaces. The furniture in the public areas was designed by, among others, Poiat and Antrei Hartikainen.

 

Other visits & organisations

 

Nikari’s showroom

Fiskars
nikari.fi

Founded in 1967 in Fiskars, Nikari is a Finnish furniture workshop and manufacturer that has built its reputation on ecological wood joinery, long-term material thinking, and collaboration with leading Nordic designers.

 

Helsinki Music Centre

Mannerheimintie 13 A, 00100 Helsinki
musiikkitalo.fi

Helsinki Music Centre (Musiikkitalo) is the shared home of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Sibelius Academy. Designed by LPR Architects, the building is known for its copper-clad facade and acoustics.

 

Ornamo Art and Design Finland

Helsinki
ornamo.fi

Founded in 1911, Ornamo Art and Design Finland is the largest and oldest professional community for designers in Finland, with nearly 2,800 members spanning industrial, service, furniture, textile, and fashion design, interior architecture, and craft and textile art.

 

Oodi Library

Töölönlahdenkatu 4, 00100 Helsinki
oodihelsinki.fi

Oodi Central Library is Helsinki’s award-winning public library and one of the city’s most distinctive contemporary landmarks. Designed by Finnish architecture firm ALA Architects and opened in 2018, Oodi combines traditional library services with public spaces for learning, making, working and spending time.  

Oodi provided a fitting setting for meetings with Katariina Siltavuori, the director of Archinfo and Tarja Tuupanen, Helsinki-based jewellery artist and the chair of Finnish Jewellery Art Association (Korutaideyhdistys). Both organisations work to promote Finnish culture in their fields of expertise nationally and internationally.

 

Cover image: The exhibition DEW by Onoma Cooperative as part of the Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale 2026. Photo by AJ KAIKURU.