The Fourth Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale Explores the Sense of Water
The Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale opens on 7 June 2026 and runs until the end of August. Now in its fourth edition, the international event for contemporary art, design and architecture once again brings a thought-provoking program to the historic ironworks village of Fiskars.
The exceptionally well-preserved village environment and the river that runs through the old ironworks provide a compelling setting for this year’s main exhibitions exploring the layered meanings and significances of water. As before, the program will be expanded through an open call.
“The Fiskars ironworks and the village that eventually grew around it are located right here because of the Fiskars River. The river powered the ironworks and provided a transport route far into Europe and beyond. It is easy to take something so fundamental and ever-present for granted, but we cannot afford to do so. Without water, there is no life, and our planet’s water resources cannot sustain our current lifestyles much longer,” says Kari Korkman, founder of the Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale at Luovi Productions.
Veden taju / Känsla för vatten / Sense of Water
The main exhibition produced by Luovi is located across three floors of the Old Granary.
On the entrance level we’ll find Veden taju / Känsla för vatten / Sense of Water, curated by artist-researcher Riikka Latva-Somppi, an exhibition that examines the human relationship with water; how knowledge, emotions and action shape our sense of water.
The exhibition brings together design, art, science and personal experience. It features art and design projects as well as cross-disciplinary research initiatives. Key themes include water stewardship, and the relationship between plastics and water. The exhibition invites visitors to reflect on their own personal relationship with water.
On the lower ground floor, the Biennale Shop offers a carefully curated selection of timely and compelling Finnish design and craftsmanship.
KASTE / DAGG / DEW
The Biennale’s second main exhibition is KASTE / DAGG / DEW, the annual summer exhibition of The Onoma Cooperative of Artists, Designers and Artisans in Fiskars, curated and architecturally designed by Marco Casagrande.
Now in its 32nd edition, the cooperative’s summer exhibition explores the cycle of water and its role as the engine of the machine of life, positioning the human being as dew, too.
“Dew shimmers freely between the fields of art and science. The exhibition forms a kind of an organic machine, covered entirely in dew. The machine glistens, or sweats. The life-producing fabric of the surrounding nature continuously baptizes itself with dew; we are trying to connect with this ritual.
All of Fiskars Village began from a drop of dew. Otherwise there would be no river, no forging hammer,” Casagrande describes.
Approximately 60 artists are participating in the exhibition, the majority selected through an open call among members of the cooperative. In addition, a carefully considered group of Finnish and international practitioners has been invited to join in. Casagrande’s curation engages with the ironworks environment, the flowing river, and the architecture of the historic buildings in a way that invites dialogue with history and the Fiskars River.
A broad public program of talks, workshops and artist meetings will accompany the exhibitions.
“There is no other reality than nature.”
-Marco Casagrande
Curators
Marco Casagrande
A Finnish architect, biourbanist and professor whose motto is: “There is no other reality than nature.” Casagrande has received, among others, the UNESCO Global Award for Sustainable Architecture, and his works have been presented multiple times at the Venice Architecture Biennale. He is known for his work in ecologically and socially sustainable architecture and reconstruction, including projects in Ukraine, where he serves as a professor at two universities.
Riikka Latva-Somppi
An artist-researcher and curator working at the intersection of fine art, design, and craft. She is a doctoral researcher at Aalto University, studying the role of craft in environmental discourse and the relationship between humans and soil. Her research combines artistic and scientific methods.
Parallel Programme
The Biennale’s sense of community and diversity is strengthened through a vibrant parallel programme composed of events organized by local artists, designers, galleries and workshops.
A wide range of cross-disciplinary events are invited to apply, including exhibitions, performances, studio visits, art walks, as well as artist dinners and celebrations.
The application form and further information can be found here.