As part of the Graphic Days® festival, since 2017 we have hosted a different country each year to share its story and values through graphic works dedicated to everyday life, traditions, and culture.
On the occasion of the tenth edition of the festival, the Eyes On format focuses on Finland. Developed under the patronage of the Finnish Embassy, the exhibition gathers some of the most influential figures, studios, and organizations in Finnish design.
Known especially for product design, Finnish design finds in the visual—graphic design, illustration, and communication—a powerful expression of cultural identity and innovation. The exhibition highlights the young cultural history of Finnish visual design, blending tradition and international influences to create a style deeply tied to the Finnish way of life: sober, harmonious, and intrinsically connected to its environmental and social context.
The extensive exhibition, open to the public from May 8 to 18, offered an opportunity to explore the works and products of Finnish designers, artists, studios, and networks, alongside contributions from Italian designers working in Finland.
Mikkeli Illustration Triennial: This exhibition features the 19 best illustrations selected in the 2020 and 2023 editions of the Triennial, celebrating the diversity of contemporary illustration and its many applications.
Lahti International Poster Triennial: Showcasing 27 selected and award-winning posters from the 2017 and 2022 editions of the Lahti International Poster Triennial, one of the most historic showcases dedicated to poster design.
Grafia: This exhibition presents a selection of award-winning works from the Vuoden Huiput and Rudolf Koivu Award competitions, organized by Grafia, Finland’s main network dedicated to design and visual communication.
Pilot | Visual Thinking: An exclusive look at original posters by the PILOT group, from the personal archive of Gianfranco Torri.
I Thought It Was Love, But It Was Just a Barbecue: A selection of works from the renowned Wrapped Wonders series by visual designer SerraGlia.
TUTTO OK!: Featuring part of the body of work by Lucas Zanotto, an Italian designer and artist based in Helsinki. The exhibited work is part of Everything Will Be OK, a project first presented in 2023 at the Nokes Gallery in Taipei.
Editorial: Co-curated by visual designer SerraGlia, this exhibition presents a selection of publications that represent some of the most captivating and evocative examples of contemporary Finnish editorial and visual design.
The Waiting Room: An experiential installation by the award-winning visual designer Tomi Leppänen, inviting visitors to pause, sit, and experience a new perception of time through design.
A unique focus on contemporary Finnish visual design. From the works of the Mikkeli Illustration Triennial and the historic Lahti Poster Triennial to the award-winning projects from Grafia, the exhibition celebrated the country’s graphic and visual excellence in its many forms. The journey was enriched by archival posters from Gianfranco Torri’s PILOT collective, the Wrapped Wonders series and the Editorial section co-curated by SerraGlia, Lucas Zanotto’s playful TUTTO OK!, and the site-specific installation The Waiting Room by Tomi Leppänen.
A dual perspective on Finnish poster design: on one side, the original posters by the PILOT group (Kari Piippo, Pekka Loiri, and Tapani Aartomaa), pioneers of essential, sophisticated, and experimental graphics; on the other, a selection of 27 award-winning posters from the Lahti International Poster Triennial, addressing global issues with visual strength and social engagement. Two generations sharing the same view of the poster as a powerful tool for synthesis and communication.
The space hosted the experiential installation by visual designer and musician Tomi Leppänen, winner of Finland’s Graphic Designer of the Year 2023. The Waiting Room, an intimate and shared environment designed for the festival, invited visitors to reflect collectively on the value of waiting and our way of experiencing the present.
Between irony and tenderness, contemporary love was explored from two different perspectives. In the exhibition I Thought It Was Love, But It Was Just a Barbecue, visual designer SerraGlia conveyed the complexity of relationships through hidden and ambiguous urban objects—metaphors for the unseen but deeply felt. In dialogue, IT’S OK! by visual designer Lucas Zanotto portrayed a fluid and evolving love, made of playful forms, contact, and care. Two different viewpoints that invite us to see love as a changing, profound, and surprising experience.
The exhibition concluded with works from some of Helsinki’s top design studios within the Nordic and international landscape: Bond, Kobra, Kokoro & Moi, Kuudes, Werklig, S&Co, Lotta Nieminen Studio, and TSTO—winners of the Vuoden Huiput award. From strategic branding to cultural experimentation, the exhibition presented varied approaches and affinities in building visual identity. These works narrated a type of design that unites thought, form, and impact, offering a rich and multifaceted overview of the Finnish communication sector.
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