A foretaste of Habitare: international Wild at Heart exhibition opens in Helsinki
Habitare, Finland’s leading furniture, design and interior decoration event, will be held in late November, but there is a chance to catch some top Finnish contemporary design and art in Helsinki already in August–September. Currently touring the world, the Wild at Heart exhibition, curated by Tero Kuitunen, presents, through the work of 11 designers, a bold vision, exploring the new direction of Finnish design. The exhibition also serves as a sneak peek of Habitare, to be held in November.
Wild at Heart is an international cooperation project produced by the Finnish institutes of culture and science, which was first presented as part of the Vienna Design Week programme. Afterwards, this review of design and art travelled to Budapest and Stockholm. Wild at Heart will open on 28 August 2020 at Kämp Garden in Helsinki, and will run until 9 September 2020.
Top Finnish design on display at the exhibition
The designers featured in the exhibition, curated by the designer Tero Kuitunen, represent the best in Finnish design and art. The exhibition brings together simplified material-based artistry, social activism, and wild playfulness: the designers demonstrate a bold approach in working with new materials. The designers featured are Antrei Hartikainen, Sofia Okkonen, Klaus Haapaniemi, Tero Kuitunen, Milla Vaahtera, Tuuli-Tytti Koivula, Mifuko, Eero Aarnio, Teemu Salonen, and Aamu Song and Johan Olin of COMPANY.
“In Vienna, Budapest and Stockholm, Wild at Heart met with an enthusiastic reception from design professionals and lovers of Finnish design and art. For me, the best encounters on the tour were those in which people were positively surprised that Finland produces such colourful and bold design. The best comment I got from a viewer was that the exhibition had made them happy. If someone leaves the exhibition happier than they were when they entered it, my goal has been achieved”, says the exhibition curator Tero Kuitunen.
First showing in Finland
Habitare has a strong presence at all the stops on the Wild at Heart exhibition tour: Vienna, Budapest, Stockholm and Tokyo. In Helsinki, Wild at Heart is a satellite event to the furniture, design and interior decoration fair Habitare, which is to be held in November.
“It is really great to see that the Wild at Heart exhibition project, which was launched on our initiative and curated by Tero Kuitunen, will, in Helsinki, serve as a Habitare showcase targeting lovers of design, interior decoration and contemporary art. After first touring the world, through Vienna, Budapest and Stockholm, this feels like a homecoming!” says the director of the Finnish Institute in Germany, Laura Hirvi.
After Helsinki, in October 2020, the international design exhibition will continue its tour to Tokyo. Other possible tour stops in Japan will be announced later in the autumn.
“Habitare has followed the Wild at Heart exhibition closely and participated in the tour in each location. The exhibition has offered a new perspective to Finnish design and provided great support to talented Finnish designers. Group exhibitions are an effective way of bringing Finnish designers and artists to the attention of international audiences, media and influencers. This is why it is very important that we continue with similar original concepts with a long-term perspective in the future, as well. The Wild at Heart exhibition in Helsinki is a wonderful way of celebrating Habitare’s 50th anniversary. The exhibition content is, in many ways, connected to Habitare, as many of the designers featured have collaborated with us over the years”, says the creative director of Habitare, Laura Sarvilinna.
The themes of the Wild at Heart exhibition will also show in the Habitare programme, as Tero Kuitunen, Laura Hirvi and Alice Stori Liechtenstein will, in an interview hosted by Sami Sykkö on Wednesday 25 November, discuss the background of the exhibition and its reception in the various cities. On Saturday 28 November, Tero Kuitunen, Milla Vaahtera and Jussi Laine will discuss hot design trends, in an interview hosted by Mirva Saukkola.
The Finnish partners for the international exhibition tour or the exhibition to be held in Helsinki in August–September 2020 are Habitare; the Finnish institutes of culture and science in Germany, Hungary, Japan and Sweden; Helsinki Design Week; Kämp Garden, Lapuan Kankurit and Bolon.
More information:
- Habitare: communications manager Eva Kiviranta, eva.kiviranta@messukeskus.com, tel. +358 40 775 6609
- The Finnish Institute in Germany: Marion Holtkamp, media and public relations, marion.holtkamp@finstitut.de, tel. +49 30 40 363 1895
Habitare
Habitare, the largest furniture, design and interior decoration event in Finland, will be held at Messukeskus in Helsinki, from 25 to 29 November 2020. Habitare offers experiences and ideas on interior decoration, and on the functioning and look of homes and other spaces. Habitare highlights the ideas and works by a new generation of designers, and sparks discussion.
www.habitare.fi | @HabitareFair | www.facebook.com/habitare | #habitare2020
The Finnish Institute in Germany
The Wild at Heart exhibition was created on the initiative of the Finnish Institute in Germany for the Vienna Design Week in 2019. The mission of the institute is to promote long-term co-operation and dialogue between Finland and German-speaking Europe. The institute advises and creates networks between actors in culture and arts, academia, and business, and, together with its partners, offers a diverse programme providing insights into Finland’s culture and society.
www.finnland-institut.de | @finnlandinst | www.facebook.com/FinnlandInstitut | #wildathearthelsinki