Exhibition: Crafted Connections x Helsinki Design Week

Throughout August, the Crafted Connections residency will bring together three Franco-Finnish artist duos who will work together in order to strengthen design collaboration between these two countries. Following the 2025 edition, the creations emerging from this residency will be showcased at Helsinki Design Week through a unique collaborative exhibition presented at Stockmann display windows on Aleksanterinkatu, Helsinki.

The exhibition presents an imaginary artists’ window filled with textiles, wood, ceramics, and basketry. The installation highlights the diversity and the quality of Franco-Finnish craftsmanship as well as the new perspectives that can emerge from the encounter between different creative practices in the field of design. The duos behind the exhibition are Cécile Gray and Hanna-Kaisa Korolainen, Karelle Couturier and Merileena Reunanen, as well as Paul Flanders and Pierre-Henri Beyssac.

The installation at Stockmann is complemented by a selection of fashion pieces created by four French and Finnish designers who were finalists at the Hyères Festival. The pieces will be presented both at Stockmann and at the French Institute of Finland. Expert craftsmanship and artisanal savoir-faire are the guiding themes of the exhibition, which also offers a glimpse into the exceptional techniques employed by French designers and the French National Manufactures.

The exhibition opening will take place on Thursday, 27 August 2026, from 5 to 7 pm at Stockmann on Aleksanterinkatu in Helsinki. During the evening, you will have the opportunity to meet the artists featured in the exhibition and be among the first to discover the installation as it is unveiled in Stockmann’s windows. Join us via the link below!

Arrival instructions for the opening: Stockmann Event Lounge, Pohjoisesplanadi 41, entrance F, 4th floor (4A).