Founded in 1873, the Design Museum turns 150 this year. During its anniversary year, the museum will feature works by some of the most compelling names in design today.
The next main exhibition to open at the Design Museum will introduce us to the world of artist and designer Kustaa Saksi (b. 1975), who is renowned for his textile designs.
The exhibition Kustaa Saksi: In the Borderlands includes a wide selection of his textile art works, created with jacquard weaving technique between 2013 and 2023. A number of large works specially commissioned for the exhibition will also be on show. The exhibition In the Borderlands explores moments between reality and illusion, which are the starting point for many of Saksi’s works. First Symptoms is a series of works in which the artist visualizes his experiences of the visual disturbances that often accompany migraines with aura, while the works in the Hypnopompic series explore the hallucinations experienced in the moments between sleep and wakefulness.
The new and the old meet in Saksi’s works. Modern designs and prints come together with jacquard weaving technique and Finland’s long tradition of textile making. His works also find their place among the surge of modern designers who seek to revolutionize woven textile traditions by testing new kinds of techniques and visuality. Saksi uses a wide array of materials in his textile designs, introducing rubber, metal, acrylic and phosphorescent threads to complement natural materials.
At the Design Museum from 5.5. to 15.10.2023
Tomi Leppänen: Tauko Paus Pause
Graphic Designer of the Year 2023 award exhibition
The Design Museum Gallery will host the Graphic Designer of the Year 2023 Award exhibition Tauko Paus Pause by Tomi Leppänen (b. 1976) in the spring. Specializing in visual identities, Leppänen is most famous for his minimalistic design style. His work is often inspired by a simple concept, a playful idea or random observation. The Graphic Designer of the Year is an award granted by Grafia, Association of Visual Communication Designers in Finland, for distinguished contributions to visual design or other efforts to raise the level and appreciation of Finnish visual design.
At the Design Museum Gallery, 24.3. to 27.08.2023
Jenny Nordberg: Strategies for Moving Freely
This year’s Helsinki Design Week will kick off with the opening of the Gallery exhibition Strategies for Moving Freely by Swedish designer Jenny Nordberg. This will be the first solo exhibition by Nordberg in Finland. She is known for her insightful approach on mass production, over-consumption and the duty of designers to take action to confront these and other issues. Nordberg’s works often take a humorous, almost peculiar form. Rather than taking a judgmental stance, she has a positive, solution-oriented approach to serious themes. the exhibition includes a number of Nordberg’s recent works, completed during the years of the pandemic.
At the Design Museum Gallery, 8.9. to 31.12.2023
Celebrations of Design Museum’s 150th anniversary throughout the year
The Design Museum turns 150 this year. Founded in 1873, the museum has operated in its present facilities, originally built for school use, since 1978. In its anniversary year, the Design Museum’s work looks to the future and the new Museum of Architecture and Design.
“The world needs creativity that breaks boundaries and the capacity to work together for a more sustainable future. This is why the need for creative sectors, like architecture and design, is greater than ever. The new Museum of Architecture and Design will not merely fulfil the needs of today or look back on our spectacular history. We are building the foundations for the next 150 years to come, and our goal is to make the tools offered by the design sectors accessible to everyone,” says Jukka Savolainen, Director of the Design Museum.
The 150th anniversary year will be visible in the museum’s activities in many ways. The first opportunity to participate in the festivities will be during the Design Evening in January. The free evenings organized on a monthly basis will turn into whole-day events, and entry will be free of charge during the opening hours of the museum, from 11 am to 8 pm. The Design Evening on January 31st will offer programmes in connection with the Antti + Vuokko Nurmesniemi exhibition: guided tours, a panel discussion on Vuokko Nurmesniemi’s career, and an open workshop.
HT
Source: Design Museum
