The FCINY’s Artists-in-Residence 2022

The Finnish Cultural Institute in New York is pleased to announce the selection of architects, artists, curators, and designers for its new 2022 residency programs.

This year the Institute will host curator NELLA AARNE; designers HANNA ANONEN and KATI PELTOLA; artist STEPHANIE MISA; as well as architects MERI WIIKINKOSKI & IINES KARKULAHTI and PAULI RIKANIEMI for periods of one to two months.

The Institute’s independent residency program has been supporting Finnish artists, architects and designers in New York since the 1990’s. The program has been closed during the pandemic during which it was renewed to align better with the needs of Finnish artists in the US, and the new strategy and mission of the Institute. The new residency programs are focused on artistic dialogue and cultural exchange in addition to individual artistic research and creative work. Each residency includes housing, access to a local hosting organization, travel, and a monthly compensation. 

The local partners, Residency Unlimited, Industry City + WantedDesign International Design Residency, and The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture at The Cooper Union, will help the artists-in-residence immerse themselves in the cultural landscape of New York, and support the artists with contacts to the local creative communities and professional networks.

Curator NELLA AARNE will focus on her ongoing enquiry into what ‘life-affirming’ curatorial practices could look like in politically and economically challenging and inhospitable contexts. She will research New York-based organizations, cooperatives and collectives in search for sustainable operational models and attentive codes of ethical practice. Aarne’s residency is organized in collaboration with Residency Unlimited.

Designer HANNA ANONEN who will stay at the Industry City + WantedDesign International Design Residency, aims to reinvent the image of modern Finnish design via a playful approach. She will explore how everyday life combined with new experiences affects her work and will move her to new levels visually. KATI PELTOLA will be looking to develop new sculptural glassworks for her portfolio as well as deepening her understanding of glass flameworking techniques and establishing a collaboration with Urban Glass in Brooklyn. 

Artist STEPHANIE MISA will use her time in New York to continue her archival research project “Collaboration as a Feminist Practice”, which investigates how the reworking of archives can evoke subjectivities and identities, positionalities, and agencies that have been relegated to the sidelines. She is excited to collaborate with Multiple Spirits’ Mai Endo and Mika Maryuma. Misa’s residency is organized in collaboration with Residency Unlimited.

Architects-in-residence MERI WIIKINKOSKI and IINES KARKULAHTI from VAPAA COLLECTIVE will examine the role architects play in shaping sustainable living in the era of climate crisis. They will be exploring architectural visions for climate disruption in the US as visiting scholars at The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture at the Cooper Union. Architect PAULI RIKANIEMI will be focusing on his project ‘Queer Strategies of Togetherness’, that emphasises the influence of urban space and architecture on LGBTQ+ lives, and how New York has signicifacntly impacted the development of queer identities in the past 100 years.

PARTICIPANTS IN THE FCINY’S RESIDENCY PROGRAMS IN 2022:

Nella Aarne, curator (March-April 2022) 
Hanna Anonen, designer (May-June 2022) 
Stephanie Misa, artist (July-August 2022) 
Kati Peltola, designer (September-October 2022) 
Meri Wiikinkoski & Iines Karkulahti, architects (November 2022) 
Pauli Rikaniemi, architect (December 2022)