This June, the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux is bringing three Benelux-based professionals from the design field to Finland on a curated four-day visitation programme. Running 25–28 June 2026, the programme takes in Helsinki and the Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale, and is designed to introduce Benelux-based professionals to the Finnish design ecosystem and build lasting connections between Finland and the Benelux.
Rooted in Finland’s creative landscape
The Finnish design visitation programme has been 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.
The programme includes visits to Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale, Lokal Gallery, Studio Kukkapuro, Villa Skeppet, Villa Snäcksund, Architecture & Design Museum Helsinki, Nikari’s showroom, KWUM, as well as other local studio visits.
The programme is centrally funded by Svenska Kulturfonden and the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux.
Meet the participants
The group brings together professionals from across the Benelux with expertise spanning design research, curatorial practice, and regional design promotion:
Evelien Bracke – Design Museum Gent, Belgium
Marie-Anne Souloumiac – Nieuwe Instituut, the Netherlands
Stan Dewaele – Designregio Kortrijk, Belgium
The trip is led by Malin Bergström, Head of Programme at the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux.
Discover the programme
The programme opens in Helsinki, where participants will visit the Architecture & Design Museum (AD Museum) including a visit to Craft Punk, the first major solo exhibition by knitting artist Juha Vehmaanperä. This will be followed by a visit to Lokal Gallery, Helsinki’s celebrated concept gallery and concept store at the heart of the Design District. Studio visits and tailored professional visits in the greater Helsinki area offer a more intimate look at the Finnish design practice and field, including a visit to Studio Kukkapuro, which preserves and expands the legacy of Finnish artist Irmeli (1934-2022) and designer Yrjö Kukkapuro (1933-2025). Participants will also get the chance for a preview visit to Lokal’s 2026 summer satellite exhibition, At First Blush (29.5–16.8.2026), in the historic ironworks village of Billnäs.
In Fiskars the programme deepens into the unique ecosystem of craft and design that has made the historic ironworks village a destination of international significance. A guided tour of the Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale (7.6–30.8.2026), now in its fourth edition, will be complemented by studio visits with artists and makers based in and around the village, including designer and craftsman Antrei Hartikainen. The group will also visit Villa Snäcksund, a three-year artist residency programme in Ekenäs, meeting with resident visual artist Sara Bjarland. A last stop at Villa Skeppet, designed by Alvar Aalto, rounds out a journey that moves between urban design culture and the quiet intensity of more rural making.
The group’s accommodation and dining have been chosen with the same intentionality as the programme itself. Here are some highlights:
- Hotel Helka, Helsinki: 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, Fiskars: 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.
- Ateljé Finne, Helsinki: 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.
For Benelux-based design professionals, the trip offers an opportunity to experience Finland’s fine art, design and craftsmanship through conversations and encounters that go well beyond what a public visit could offer.
We look forward to sharing what the group discovers and to the connections that will continue long after the trip.
Read more about the Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale.
Cover image: Works Luonnos by Pia Sirén and Plastic Rivers by Álvaro Catalán de Ocón as part of the exhibition Sense of Water at Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale 2026. Photo by Justus Hirvi.