“My time at the Finnland-Institut was incredibly meaningful – it made me feel a part of a wider community of like-minded people. This community has been such a valuable resource, both personally and professionally. May this amazing network of talent continue to blossom in the future as well. Congratulations to the Finnland-Institut!”
Mikaela Mäkelä | Project manager at the Finnland-Institut from August 2020 to November 2022 | Mikaela played an important role in various collaborative projects such as A I S T I T / coming to our senses and the Saunawassermarathon.
“With the utmost satisfaction, I look back on the fantastic collaboration with the Finnland-Institut. It was filled with great ideas, spontaneity, and trust – always characterised by exceptional quality. Keep up the good work.”
Lars Krolik | Director of the Münsterland Festival | In 2023, we had the pleasure of collaborating with the Münsterland Festival, with Finland as the guest country. Alongside incredible performances showcasing Finnish music and culture in many unique locations throughout North Rhine-Westphalia, we even had the chance to open a festival sauna!
“The Finnland-Institut is only five years older than the Museum Europäischer Kulturen (MEK) in Berlin. For 24 years we have worked closely together, most recently for the “European Cultural Days: Sápmi”. The MEK team says thank you, congratulations, and keep up the great work!”
Elisabeth Tietmeyer | Director of the Museum Europäischer Kulturen (MEK) in Berlin | We have had the opportunity to work together on many exciting projects, including the current Sámi exhibition at MEK.
“For 13 years already, we’ve had a close friendship with the Finnland-Institut, sharing countless memorable moments under the book-filled skies, both there and here with us, or even in Frankfurt during ‘Finnland.Cool’ in 2014 and with ‘Tango Finlandés’. Suvi Wartiovaara visits us frequently, accompanied by new interns. KIITOS! We congratulate you from the bottom of our hearts!”
Petra Wenzel and Katrin Mirtschink | Owners and founders of Pankebuch | Pankebuch is Berlin’s only bookstore specialising in Nordic literature. Their friendship and collaboration over the past 13 years have consistently brightened our days.
“Schloss Hollenegg for Design congratulates the Finnland-Institut for thirty years of important work in the field of culture. We are honoured to work with the Finnland-Institut and look forward to many more cooperations supporting together Finnish designers. To many more years ahead and happy birthday!”
Alice Liechtenstein | Curator and founder of the Schloss Hollenegg for Design | Over the years, Schloss Hollenegg has collaborated closely with the Finnland-Institut, organising residencies with Finnish artists, including Finnish-born designer Jonas Lutz.
“Congratulations, dear Finnland-Institut! Over the past 30 years, you have built an incredible institution where people can grow and learn. Thank you for your ceaseless cultural work and generosity. I look forward to following your adventures for at least another 30 years.”
Fanny Thálen | Intern 2018–2019 | As an intern funded by the Swedish Cultural Foundation, Fanny not only shaped everything that had to do with the Swedish language at the Finnland-Institut, but also boosted our Instagram presence and helped with the move from Georgenstraße to Friedrichstraße.
“Congratulations, dear Finnland-Institut! Since your establishment, you have brought a delightful number of Finnish books and their authors to Germany. Keep up the great work, as reading is, and always will be, the best way to open the heart and mind to another culture!”
Stefan Moster | Writer and translator | In addition to enriching our library with translations of Finnish literature and works of his own, we’ve had the pleasure of working together on numerous events for almost 30 years already.
Frank Brümmel | Member of the Board of Trustees for the Finnland-Institut | The board plays a key role in guiding the Finnland-Institut, with members representing Finland’s academic, cultural, and economic sectors.
“Thank you Finnland-Institut for your continuing support of art and artists! I had the chance to be the ART/ist in residence in 2021. It was so special to be surrounded by an atmosphere of ‘of course art!’”
Helena Kauppila | Visual artist and mathematician | As part of our Visiting Art/ist programme, Helena Kauppila was our guest artist in 2021. We’re grateful for the collaboration we’ve had and the exciting projects still to come, such as the studio visit to Helena’s studio in Berlin Mitte/Wedding.
“I joined the Finnland-Institut as a trainee and left as the manager of a cultural export project valued at nearly €2 million, when Finland was the Guest of Honour country at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2014. These five years at the Institut were truly invaluable for my professional growth. The Finnland-Institut’s role as a platform for growth is evident in all its core activities: it is a vital resource for the internationalisation of Finnish artists. And all the people I met! I got a wide network of contacts across German-speaking Europe, as well as lifelong friends. Fortunately, we are still able to work closely together – I currently work as Culture and Public Diplomacy Advisor for the Embassy of Finland in Berlin. And I know who to call when creativity strikes. A thousand congratulations to the Institut for thousands of opportunities!”
Sofie Backman | Intern and employee at the Finnland-Institut between 2010 and 2015 | Sofie is our former intern, employee, manager of the 2014 Frankfurt Book Fair satellite programme, current partner at the Embassy of Finland in Berlin, and, of course, a dear friend.
“Congratulations to the Finnland-Institut on your 30th anniversary! We thank you for your irreplaceable work in promoting Finnish culture and academia in the German-speaking countries. Your persistent dedication continues to build meaningful connections and foster understanding between these countries. Wishing you continued success and congratulations!”
Philipp Jordi | Special Advisor for Trade and Economic Affairs, Embassy of Finland in Bern | The Finnland-Institut operates across all German-speaking regions in Europe, and we’re grateful to have incredible local partners like Philipp to collaborate with.
Foto: Anne Siltala
“Already 30 years of valuable work on behalf of enhancing Finland’s visibility and strengthening the Finnish-German cooperation – congratulations and best wishes for continued success!”
Anne Siltala | Intern at the Finnland-Institut 1996 | Anne Siltala was one of the first interns at the Finnland-Institut.
“Cheers to the 30-year-old! Where would we be without the Institut and, most importantly, its knowledgeable, wonderful, and always cheerful staff! To my delight, the Institut is not just investing in Germany, but also in Austria. Over the years, we have worked together to enhance the visibility of Finnish contemporary design and designers, hosted events at our residence, and stood united through the dark November days at BUCH WIEN. With heartfelt gratitude and joy for our continued collaboration, Petra”
Petra Hedman | Embassy of Finland in Vienna | In collaboration with our Austrian partners, we have the privilege of promoting Finnish culture and academia in Austria through collaborative projects such as Finland’s appearance as the Guest Country at the VIENNA DESIGN WEEK 2019 and a design evening at the Ambassador’s residence in Vienna featuring the designer duo Juslin-Maunula.
“On behalf of the Deutsch-Finnische Gesellschaft (DFG), I would like to warmly congratulate the Finnland-Institut on its 30th anniversary! The Institut has always been open to collaboration and exchange ideas, resulting in countless valuable encounters and partnerships that have enriched the field of German-Finnish cultural work.
An absolute highlight was our joint ‘Saunawassermarathon’ project in 2022. I fondly remember the special moments we shared together as we joined forces to carry the ‘sacred’ bucket from Finland across Germany, all the way to the final event in Stuttgart. This unforgettable event will be hard to beat, but I hope we’ll continue to create memories together. I look forward to the future collaborations and wish the Finnland-Institut many more successful years of promoting Finnish culture in German-speaking countries!”
Mari Koskela | Chair of the Deutsch-Finnische Gesellschaft (DFG) | We’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with Mari and the Deutsch-Finnische Gesellschaft on exciting projects, such as the Saunawassermarathon, a project, which aimed to introduce Finnish sauna culture to Central Europe.
Foto: privat
“Cheers to the 30-year-old! Oh, those days back in Berlin-Moabit! Here’s the first photo of my daughter Emma, who was born during my time as the Head of Culture at the Finnland-Institut. The photo was taken in February 1996 at a studio beneath the former Institut in Moabit. This passport photo of a few-week-old Emma was rejected by the Finnish authorities because “the passport applicant’s eyes are closed in the photo”. Emma’s wedding is this coming Saturday in Tampere, Finland. Her place of birth is registered as “Berlin/Tampere” on her identity card and in the Certificate of Non-Impediment for Marriage. Like her father, Emma has always been very proud of it.”
Antti Vihinen | Head of Culture at the Finnland-Institut 1994–1996 | Antti served as our Head of Culture during the early days when the Institut was in its original premises in Moabit, Berlin.
Foto: Mika Minetti
“When all of Finland wept…
I was invited to be the Visiting Artist at the Finnland-Institut during the pandemic. While I was planning the name for the exhibition in fall of 2021, I drew inspiration from reality TV formats, particularly shows like ‘Koko Suomi leipoo’ (eng. ‘All of Finland Bakes’). I decided the exhibition should be titled ‘All of Finland Weeps,’ but the curator, Mika Minetti, wasn’t entirely sold on it. So, I added a footnote to soften the blow: ‘All of Finland Weeps – Tears of sorrow, joy and healing’. The exhibition was opened two weeks before the start of the war in Ukraine, without an opening ceremony. On the 24th of February 2022 the whole world changed overnight and all of Finland wept. Our prime minister Sanna Marin cried spontaneously in a press conference shortly after the war in Ukraine started. As did the head of our Orthodox Church, Archbishop Leo. All of this resulted in fear and grief, that spread to all of Europe. The era of peace ended, and the era of a new Cold War started. The name of the exhibition is almost a forewarning of what was to come.
An economy balanced by emotions is needed during traumatic experiences. I envisioned the then-chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel to be a precentor of sorts: her New Year’s speech could have ended in gentle reprimanding of the German people, which would trigger crying that everyone could join. This thought is tied to the Finnish tradition of Karelian women lamenting. They have served as precentors of weeping in wakes and funerals. They have opened emotional dams and healed wounds with their weeping.
After the end of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in the summer of 2022, we were able to organise a proper opening ceremony for the exhibition, where Frau Kraft, a character created by my partner Markus Karger, performed. Frau Kraft interviewed me and read the interview out loud in the opening ceremony. The opening ceremony culminated in tears of joy and a ‘letkajenkka’ dance in the big conference room led by Frau Kraft. We achieved the holy trinity of weeping and came full circle. We were once again facing something new, as we are every day.”
Jukka Korkeila | Visual artist | Jukka was the Visiting Artist at the Finnland-Institut in 2022. His exhibition showcased the themes of sexual identities, the Christian Orthodox faith and the emancipation of the body away from repressive beauty ideals, among other.
Ida Piri
ist zurzeit als Volontärin am Finnland-Institut tätig. Sie hat diesen Beitrag redaktionell betreut.
Ida Piri on parhaillaan harjoittelijana Suomen Saksan-instituutissa. Hän on editoinut tämän jutun.
Ida Piri är för närvarande praktikant vid Finlandsinstitutet i Tyskland. Hon har redigerat denna text.
Ida Piri, who has edited this article, is currently doing an internship at the Finnland-Institut.
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