News
We Love our New NoHo Office
The pendant lights by Alvar Aalto were originally designed for the Finnish Engineer’s Association in 1952. The Kaari wall shelf from Artek was designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec in 2015.
Above the mantelpiece hangs Finnish artist Iiu Susiraja’s self-portrait titled Power Brokers (2012), shot in her instantly recognizable humorous style. Susiraja recently attended a 6-month residency at the ISCP in New York, and this year her works have been featured in solo exhibitions both in NY and LA and a group exhibition at the Meredith Rosen Gallery in New York.
After being located near Union Square for more than two decades, the office of The Finnish Cultural Institute in New York relocated to NoHo earlier this year. Situated in a 1850s brownstone, 26 Bond Street has a history of inhabiting artists and creatives. Take a tour of our new office space, featuring classic and contemporary Finnish design and art.
Our team from left to right: Administrative Manager Isabelle Rosse, Executive Director Kaarina Gould, Residency Manager Susanne Boswell, and Project Manager Ilari Laamanen. Our current intern Oona Pohjolainen is missing from the picture.
26 Bond Street, with its landmarked facade, is one of the last townhouses on the street. In the ´70s, the NoHo area attracted people in creative fields as there were plenty of large spaces available where you could both work and live.
Several artists have lived in the building: fashion illustrator Jack Champlin lived here since the ‘60s until his death and dancer Walter Richards for his whole adult life. In the ´70s, artist Brice Marden also had his studio in the unit that is now the FCINY office.
26 Bond St with its landmarked facade is one of the only townhouses left on the street. Our neighboring building’s facade features the famous sculpture by artist Bruce Williams.
Hallway of 26 Bond Street.
The office walls feature a changing collection of artwork by our residency program alumni and other Finnish artists. One of the characters currently residing in the space is Bob (2013), a portrait created in collaboration by Finnish-Norwegian artist duo Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth. The work is part of their ongoing series Eyes as Big as Plates which explores the modern man’s relationship to nature. The series features senior citizens from different parts of the world dressed in wearable sculptures crafted from natural materials, often blending into the landscape.
Riitta Ikonen’s and Karoline Hjort’s Bob watches our office. Iittala tableware from Finnish Design Shop and bespoke Durat pieces are aptly put into new use after our Zero Waste Bistro pop-up in May.
The sofa, lounge chairs, and low table are all from Artek’s Kiki Collection, designed by Ilmari Tapiovaara in 1960. The black and white upholstery is by Finnish textile designer Johanna Gullichsen, and the paper yarn carpet is by Woodnotes.
The iconic Artek E60 stools, designed by Alvar Aalto in 1934, are topped with round ‘discushions’ by Johanna Gullichsen.
On the table: design house Samuji’s take on the traditional Finnish burl “pahka” bowl. Samuji is a Finnish fashion and lifestyle brand, whose founder Samu-Jussi Koski is our residency alumnus, and designer Jenni Väänänen our current designer-in-residence.
Photos: Janne Tuunanen