Aino and Alvar Aalto: Shared Visions

Due to the state of emergency, all our exhibitions are temporarily closed. The exhibitions will resume after the state of emergency has ended.

Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) was one of Finland’s most famous architects. His dedication to meticulous design that adopted the perspectives of users, and to architecture rooted in regional cultures and societies, grew out of the deeply held beliefs of another Aalto, his wife Aino (1894-1949). This exhibition traces the 25-year story of their synergistic relationship and sharing of ideals, from when Aino met the still-unknown Alvar until her death long before his, and features documents and distinctive materials from the family archive.

Aino and Alvar Aalto: Shared Visions

 

Saturday, March 20 – Sunday, June 20, 2021
Setagaya Art Museum

 

Closed: Mondays except May 3, and Thursday, May 6.
Hours: 10:00AM – 6:00PM (last entry: 30 minutes before closing time)
For more information, visit the museum’s website

 

Photo: Alvar Aalto: Armchair 41 “Paimio”, 1932. Alvar Aalto Foundation. Photo: Maija Holma

Schools on the Move webinar (March 10th, 2021)

Online seminar “Finnish Success Story: Schools on the Move -active school day, better results”
What to learn more about the revolutionary new Finnish programme for the schools? How the increase in physical activity during the school day will give better learning results? Schools on the Move is a research-based programme for promoting physical activity in schools. It was developed in 2010 in Finland and now has grown to a big project that covers more than 90 percent of Finnish schools in basic education.
Finnish Institute in Japan is an active actor here in Japan for introducing as the pilot project in Japanese schools.

Date: Wednesday March 10th, 2021 17:00-19:00PM in Zoom
For registration: Kindly sign up through this Peatix event page
Zoom: You can join from the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82396074357?pwd=azFsSE9nbHpyZ0k2WkZDK21NVGx5dz09

【Programme】
17:00 Opening
17:10 Schools on the Move programme, how it became a national success story in Finland
– Antti Blom, Programme Director, National Agency for EducationAntti Blom
17:30 Research and results
– Chiaki Tanaka, Associate Professor, College of Health and Welfare, J. F. Oberlin University
17:50 The best School on the Move 2020 in Finland, Keski-Palokka school, Jyväskylä
– Samuli Pentinniemi, teacher and pedagogical expert, Municipality of Jyväskylä and PaloEducation
18:10 Physical activity during distance learning with mobile application
– Olli Kelhä, teacher, Municipality of Kemi
18:30 Q&A
18:50 Closing remarks

Schools on the Move webinar (November 26th, 2020)

 

Join us in the Schools on the Move webinar November 26th, 2020 17:00-19:00PM in Zoom.
PROGRAMME
17:00 Opening words – Anna-Maria Wiljanen, Director of the Finnish Institute in Japan
17.10-17.30 Success story 1: Schools on the Move programme, how it became a national success story in Finland – Antti Blom, Programme Director, National Agency for Education
17.40-18.10 Success story 2: Programme research and results, Researcher – Jouni Kallio, LIKES Research Centre for Physical Activity and Health
18.10-18.40 Success story 3: Components of Schools on the Move – Pilot project in Japan – Joonas Niemi, Programme Coordinator, Schools on the Move Programme
18:40-19:00 Q&A Session

Registration: https://schoolsonthemove1126.peatix.com/

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85228350193?pwd=L0xWakI5VjYvUlNtSzNZZzJHa1poUT09

Welcome!

inner landscapes, tokyo

Due to the state of emergency, all our exhibitions are temporarily closed. The exhibitions will resume after the state of emergency has ended.

inner landscapes is an art project by Marja Pirilä, a Finnish artist and photographer, and Satoko Sai + Tomoko Kurahara, a Japanese ceramic artist duo.

The exhibition, inner landscapes, tokyo opens in Tokyo Shibuya Koen-dori Gallery on Thursday, April 1st, and continues until Sunday, June 6th. For opening times and access, please visit the gallery’s website.

 

ARTISTS’ TALK

 

inner landscapes is dialogue between diverse times and two cultures, Finnish and Japanese: for the project the artists have interviewed elderly people from both countries. The exhibition, inner landscapes, tokyo, shows the inner landscapes of 6 groups, 8 persons living in Tokyo.

Satoko Sai + Tomoko Kurahara:Hirotaka, 2020. Photo: Mareo Suemasa

This exhibition, bringing together ceramics and photography, digs through layers of history by unearthing individual stories and album photos. The works go beyond a mere record of memories that reflect the lives of actual individuals, to highlight universal stories that we can all empathize with and share, transcending countries, cultures, and generations.

inner landscapes started as part of Turku 2011the European Capital of Culture program through 2009-11. The first exhibition in Tokyo was held in 2016, with another artist talk event in 2018.

Photo: Marja Pirilä: Camera obscura / Hirotaka, Tokyo, 2018/2020

Mental Health Seminar

Thank you everyone who participated! The lecture slides are available here.

Mental Health Seminar 

Date: 10th February 2021 4PM-5:30PM (JST) 

Platform: Zoom 

Organizers: Finnish Institute in Japan, Asahi Travel International Inc. in Japan and Mieli Mental Health Finland

Programme】

16:00 Opening

16:05 Anna-Maria Wiljanen, Director of Finnish Institute in Japan

Well-being of Women, Well-being for Society”

16:35 Q&A

16:45 Marjo Nurmi, Mieli Mental Health Finland planner and volunteer work coordinating management 

Mental Health is for Everybody”

17:15 Q&A

17:30 Closing

Q&A

Q1: In Finland, do you have any occasion to talk about one’s well-being? 

A: Yes, well-being is discussed on every level in the society; in schools, work places and in families as well. There are special programs for well-being to be implemented for example:

https://www.globaleducationparkfinland.fi/future-skills/wellbeing-at-school

https://www.kivaprogram.net

https://schoolsonthemove.fi

http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@ed_emp/@ifp_skills/documents/publication/wcms_108222.pdf

Q2: Regarding the balance of 8-8-8 mentioned in Anna-Marias presentation, do you have any tips for balancing them all well? For instance, I tend to think even unconsciously that we shall prioritize work and reduce times for sleep and hobbies. 

A: We humans are entities. Kindly remember that you cannot do your work well, if you haven’t rested well. But just an extra hour of sleep can positively influence our cognitive abilities, boost productivity and ability to concentrate. Taking care of your physical health is crucial to achieving work-life balance. Being healthy is important for your work performance and your everyday life in general.

I put an alarm to my iPhone that tells me it’s time to go to sleep. Gently leave your digital devices out from the bedroom and don’t do anything digital at least 30 minutes before you go to sleep.More information about the importance of sleep and hobbies: 

https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/37/7/1159/2709357

Books about well-being:

・Martin E.P. Seligman: Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being

・Emma Seppälä: The Happiness Track. How to apply the science of happiness to accelerate your success

・Emily Esfahan Smith: The Power of Meaning

・Arianna Huffington: Thrive

・Michelle Obama: Becoming

・Deepak Chopra: The healing self

・HH Dalai Lama: The Art of Happiness

Sensory Art Journey Finland × Japan

Make a connection to Japan through Art.

At the moment it is difficult to visit other countries, but art can travel. In this two-part workshop we will communicate cross-culturally through art and sensory experimental program.

We are connecting Finland and Japan in a hybrid art workshop, during which we take a walk in the nature, and then, inspired by what we experienced outside, paint. The works will be cut into pieces, and half of the pieces will be mailed between Finland and Japan. In the second workshop we make a collage from the pieces with the help of the participating artists.

Painters Saki Tanaka (Japan) and Sanna Kananoja (Finland) will guide the walks and workshops, and will finalise the works together with the participants. No previous experience in painting is required.
The workshop is free of charge, and will be held in English in the Didrichsen Art Museum.
To participate, you need to be over 20 years old and able to join on both dates.

Dates: Thursday 29.4.2021 at 10–13, Monday 24.5.2021 10–12
Registrationhttps://sensory-art-journey-helsinki.peatix.com/
The maximum number of participants is eight.
Place: Didrichsen Art Museum, Kuusilahdenkuja 1, 00340 Helsinki

Program
29.4. Introduction and short artist talk by the artists.
Exploring Didrichsen Art Museum’s sculpture park
Painting inspired by nature
Discussing with participants in Japan through Zoom
~~~ Exchanging the pieces ~~~
24.5. Finalising the works together

Host: The Finnish Institute in Japan
Organizer: Mariko Yoshida
Aalto University Nordic Visual Studies in Art Education Master student
Instagram: @ma10ri12co
Instagram of my course:@nova_masterprogram
In collaboration with: Didrichsen Art Museum

Artists Profiles

Saki Tanaka

Saki Tanaka

Saki Tanaka was born in the United States and spent her childhood in Hong Kong, and her memories led her to be interested in many cultures. With her long-term experience of Japanese calligraphy, her main theme is “breathing” and “rhythm” created by lines and white spaces. She changes her tools for the materials and spaces she works on, and composes with color, lines, and white spaces. She leaves her works all over the world as she brings her daily life into places, she calls that project “stay & work”. She travels, feels the energy of the place and people, and makes artworks that she can create only there. Those works are left there and create new landscape scenery.

 

Sanna Kananoja

Sanna Kananoja

Sanna Kananoja is a Turku based Finnish artist whose landscape paintings tell stories about nature’s and humans’ intertwined lives. In her paintings, nature takes back its space from humans who have used it for their own purposes. Kananoja’s paintings seem almost like big photoprints, but at a closer look they are something between dynamic, drawing and expressive. Abundant colors and lines play an essential role in her works. Kananoja works mainly with egg-tempera paint because of its special shine of colors and possibilities during the painting process. She has held exhibitions regularly from 2007.

Finnish Visual Arts Lecture Series

Welcome to the fascinating world of Finnish visual arts, artistry and artist lives during the Finnish Golden era (ca 1880-1910)!

Slides for past lectures available here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19H3BqjE28gsXN6FJA-RUH3v4uNuKQDAy?usp=sharing

Finnish Institute in Japan will organise a lecture series about the golden era of Finnish visual arts and its most beloved and known artists. Join the lectures in Zoom on Tuesdays throughout April and May at 17:00-18:30PM. All lectures are free of charge, Held in English and interpreted into Japanese. Tickets for all lectures are available at the link below.

Timetable:
March 23rd, Helene Schjerfbeck (lecturer: Anna-Maria Wiljanen)
April 6th, Pekka Halonen (lecturer: Pasi Järvinen)
April 13th, Elin Danielson-Gambogi (lecturer: Anna-Maria Wiljanen)
April 20th, Albert Edelfelt (lecturer: Anna-Maria Wiljanen)
April 27th, Ellen Thesleff (lecturer: Pasi Järvinen)
May 4th, Emil Wikström (lecturer: Pasi Järvinen)
May 11th, Maria Wiik (lecturer: Anna-Maria Wiljanen)
May 18th, Akseli Gallen-Kallela (lecturer: Pasi Järvinen)
May 25th, Hugo Simberg (lecturer: Anna-Maria Wiljanen)

Registration in the link: https://finland-art21.peatix.com

Painting: Hugo Simberg: The Wounded Angel, Oil on canvas, 1903, Ateneum Art Museum, Finnish National Gallery.

Finnish Dance Course

The popular Finnish Dance Course is back!

Note! The date of the last lesson has been changed! The new date is 2nd of June!

The Finnish Institute in Japan will organize another Finnish folk dance course on Wednesdays 28th of April, 12th and 19th of May and 2nd of June 2021 starting at 6pm at the Metsä Pavilion’s covered outdoor deck. The teacher is Salla Kajiwara.
The course is free, but requires a registration.

Registration for the last session on 2nd of June is now open,
please register via Peatix.

Miila Westin: Mythical

Due to the state of emergency, all our exhibitions are temporarily closed. The exhibitions will resume after the state of emergency has ended.

Have you heard of Rongoteus or Ägräs?

Miila Westin’s exhibition of Finnish mythical beings is part of her Master of Arts thesis in Aalto University. While researching the Finnish ancient religion the illustrator noticed how abundantly there were myths and stories which were not a part of the national epic of Karelia and Finland, The Kalevala. In her research, Westin considered whether the illustrations of myths need to informative, or whether the artists can interpret the subject freely. She came to a conclusion that new interpretations keep the ancient myths alive and remembered. Westin’s illustrations do not reflect how the Finnish mythical beings may have been imagined in ancient times, but instead how the illustrator herself wants to see them.

Miila Westin: Mythical

22.4.–16.5.2021 (closed 6.5.)
Mon–Fri: 10:00–20:00
Sat–Sun, holidays: 10:00–17:30
Tokyo Metropolitan Central Library
5-7-13 Minami-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Free entrance
We recommend you to make a reservation beforehand

Online artist talk
Date: 26th April 2021 at 18:00
Language: English (interpreted in Japanese)
Platform: Zoom
Registration: https://miilawestin-artisttalk.peatix.com/

Miila Westin (b. 1987) is a Finnish illustrator living and working in Helsinki, Finland. She works on various types of illustration projects ranging from character design and editorial illustrations to pattern design and books. She especially enjoys visualizing imaginary creatures and dreamy environments. Westin has illustrated Radio Popov, the winning book of The Finlandia Junior Price (2020). Westin is also a board member of The Finnish Illustrators Association.
Westin graduated as Master of Arts in Visual Narrative (Visual Communication Design) in 2020 from Aalto University of Arts and Design. The topic of her thesis was about the visualizations of Finnish mythical beings.

Miila Westin: Hiisi, 2020

Runeberg Torte Recipe

Ingredients

125 g of unsalted butter

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 dl wheat flour

50 g of almond crumb

1.5 dl breadcrumbs

1.5 dl gingerbread crumbs

a teaspoon of ground cardamom

1 egg,

1 dl sugar

1 dl of cream

bitter almond oil

raspberry jam

punch or almond liqueur

1 dl icing sugar

1 teaspoon water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 125°F. Soften the butter without melting it. Combine baking powder, flour, crushed almonds, bread crumbs, crushed gingerbread and cardamom. Beat the beaten eggs and sugar together and mix with the cream, melted butter and flour. Finally, add two drops of bitter almond oil.  

Place the resulting batter in a silicone or paper container and fill the center with raspberry jam. Add the dough to the top of the jam, a little more than halfway up the container.  

Place in the oven and bake at 125 degrees for the first few minutes, then increase the temperature to 200 degrees for about 20 minutes, until the tart is a beautiful brown color.  

When the baked tart is cool, remove it from the container (you can leave the paper container in place). Add punch or almond liqueur to the tart to moisten it. (For families with small children, substitute sugar water.) Make the icing by adding a drop of water to the icing sugar and top the tart with a circle. Fill the inside of the rings with raspberry jam.  

Serve with coffee or punch.