The Finnish Cultural Institute in New York is pleased to announce the selection of artists, architects, curators, and designers for its 2025 residency programs.

Next year the Institute will host designer Henri Judin, architect Arvind Ramachandran, curators Sanna Ritvanen & Miina KaArtinen, and artist Yujie Zhou.

The Institute’s independent residency program has been supporting Finnish artists, architects and designers in New York since the 1990s. 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 The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture - The Cooper Union, Pioneer Works, and Office of Tangible Space will help the residents immerse themselves in the cultural landscape of New York, and offer support with contacts to the local creative communities and professional networks.

HENRI JUDIN

Longing for more inclusivity and diversity in the Finnish design scene, designer Henri Judin views the FCINY Design Residency as an opportunity to immerse himself in New York's dynamic LGBTQ+ community and diverse creative scene. He aims to explore new perspectives for his work, embracing the intersection of queer identity and design, and to gain insights from New York's distinctive design industry, paving the way for future collaborations and opportunities. From the drag scene to the design world, he seeks to challenge conventions, redefine what it means to be a professional in both realms, and foster a more inclusive and diverse design community in Finland. Judin’s residency is organized in collaboration with the Office of Tangible Space.

Arvind Ramachandran

Arvind Ramachandran is an architect and urban designer interested in how power is spatialized in the urban environment. In his work, he focuses on how architects and planners can be allies to marginalized groups in attempts to achieve urban spatial justice. During the residency, Arvind looks forward to exploring how the universal right to shape the city is realized. He will do this by investigating built interventions that minorities have dreamt up, collaborated around and implemented across New York city. Ramachandran’s residency is organized in collaboration with The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture - The Cooper Union.

Sanna Ritvanen & Miina KaArtinen

Researcher Miina Kaartinen and creative producer and curator Sanna Ritvanen represent Mustarinda, a postdisciplinary, non-profit association founded in 2010. Mustarinda is a forerunner of ecological thinking-doing in the art and cultural field, by developing both practical solutions and theoretical frameworks towards a post-fossil culture. Mustarinda’s activities combine contemporary art, boundary-crossing research, practical experimentation, communication, pedagogy and community work. Kaartinen and Ritvanen’s residency is organized in collaboration with Pioneer Works.

YUJIE ZHOU

Yujie Zhou is a Chinese visual artist who navigates performativity and a decoded notion of language through photography, textiles, moving images, publishing, and installation. Based on the juxtaposition between their nationalist upbringing and their current life in Finland, their practice interrogates dominant historical narratives and power structures while reframing collective individuality. Zhou’s residency is organized in collaboration with Pioneer Works.

Sanna Ritvanen & Miina Kartinen, curators (January-March 2025)
Yujie Zhou, artist (April-June 2025)
Henri Judin, designer (July-September 2025)
Arvind Ramachandran, architect (October-December 2025)