The House of Finland exhibition returned to New York City to highlight the best of Finnish art, design, technology and education. The exhibition is organized by The Finnish American Chamber of Commerce and Finnish Tech, Design and Art (FTDA), a non-profit organization that promotes Finnish creativity in all of its forms in the US. This year The House of Finland is also part of the Finland 100 Independence celebrations. The exhibition consists of four special events and a four day-long exhibit to honor the celebration. The events will took place at various locations throughout New York City in September.
The celebrations started on Saturday, September 9th with an exclusive cocktail party that serves as the official kick-off for Finland’s 100th birthday. DJ Ronny Rex and a special guest performance by the transcendental pop musician, GEA known for her cascading, light and airy tone will highlight the evening, alongside innovative media and visual art displays by Oases from HEL, award-winning interior designer, Susanna Sivonen, and bold scanographer, Kira Leskinen. Actress Taina Elg, a two-time Golden Globe winner, will also send her greetings to the 100 year old Finland. Guests will enjoy Koskenkorva drinks and hor d’oeuvres from Finlandia Cheese.
The House of Finland opened on Monday, September 11th with an exclusive Press Preview at 287 Gallery from 6pm-8pm, where guests will enjoy cocktails, hor d’oeuvres and receive goodie bags provided by Marimekko. The evening opens to the public at 8pm with GEA’s Butterflies release gig. The music will be visualized by Kira Leskinen, who plays with abstraction of shapes using bold colors. Attendees will see a live painting by Susanna Sivonen and an exciting preview of upcoming Finnish Fashion brands and designers, such as the vibrant nordic beauty brand Lumene, among others.
On Tuesday, the exhibition focused on Finnish innovation. Finland is one of the world’s leading countries in education, game technology and innovation. The third highlighted event is Tech Tuesday Breakfast Talk on September 12th at 8:30am-11:30am. The world’s leading learning, edutech and data analytics companies will present their latest innovations: AvaDive gamified learning solutions, Leiki semantic analytics and Data Refinery – a data monetization platform launch.
On Wednesday, the exhibition headed into unique Finnish fashion. On the morning of September 13th from 8:45am-10:15am, children’s fashion brand Reima and Visit Finland will organize a children’s fashion themed breakfast event. Known for quality clothes for a colorful, active lifestyle, Reima promises both safety and sustainability in their designs that caters from infants to juniors.
Finnish fashion brands have been iconic throughout centuries, and most recently a new generation of fashion designers have started to command global catwalks. A fashion show produced by creative media agency FEDITED took place on September 13th at 6pm features several unique, up and coming fashion brands CHAÎNE, Riikka Ikäheimo Couture and sustainable brands represented by Weecos.com such, as Uhana Design, Papu, MEM, Nouki, Jatuli, Mine Güngör, Kuula + Jylhä, Mori Collective and Shy Vibes Club.
On the final day, the exhibition tantalized the senses with Finnish art. The Finnish art scene takes influences from pure nature, and extreme forms of light and darkness the seasons provide. Finnish design is known for its architectural forms, simplicity and high quality. The event series closes with an art auction on Thursday, September 14th at 6pm-8pm.
“This will be FTDA’s fifth creative venture in NYC where you will be able to see a dynamic display that represents the best of Finnish talent. The centenary celebration is open to everyone interested in Finland, our culture, innovation, art, way of life and people. It is an honor to be able to showcase the rich ideals of Finland in time for our 100th year of independence,” said Laura Avonius, Finnish Tech, Design and Art.