About the Resident

Sanni Wessman is an award-winning independent illustrator and graphic designer based in Helsinki, Finland. She has graduated from Aalto University and did her exchange studies at School of Visual Arts in New York. During her career Sanni has gained experience both as a freelancer and as a graphic designer in an advertising agency.

Sanni specializes in character illustrations, bright color palettes and playful atmosphere. Her main aim is to bring a bit more joy and kindness to the world with her colorful work.

In partnership with Finnish Cultural Institute in New York

sanniwessman.com
@wessmansanni

Learn more about the Finnish Residency

Residency Highlights

Read HERE Sanni’s interview with FCINY on making life more colorful through illustrations!

Sanni’s Experience

1.    What do you consider has been the most important and beneficial outcome of your two-month residency in New York?

The two months I got to experience in New York were everything and so much more than what I hoped for beforehand. The vibrant energy of the city is very contagious and to be able to spend two months in that bubble seeking new inspiration, dreams, and ideas was very valuable to me. During my residency I got to meet so many interesting people and hear their stories, visit inspiring places and events, and just wander around admiring all the visual treats spread around the city. In addition to having a plan for my solo exhibition, which was my initial residency project, I also feel like I have a whole new toolkit of inspiration with me and great new connections to continue with.

2.    What were your overall impressions of the residency program?

The residency was such an exciting period in my life and career, now looking back it almost feels like a dream, a very good one. It was both extremely intense and free at the same time. The pace was fast in an uplifting way and every week was different, which made it all so intriguing. 

3.    You got to experience New York’s Design Week as a WantedDesign resident, can you share your highlights of this week?

New York’s Design Week was an exhilarating and motivating week filled with things to do and see. One of the absolute highlights of the week was just to experience the buzz of the whole creative community coming together to showcase their work, learn and experience new things, and just celebrate creativity together. I got to visit events like ICFF, creative studios, art shows and product launches, dance under the disco balls with people I admire, and make connections that would turn into friendships and ones that would later take me all the way to Connecticut to spend one wonderful day admiring architecture and design.  

4.    What was the most exciting and unexpected discovery?

I was immensely inspired to be around designers who work in product or spatial design. During these two months I started to get ideas about how to combine physical objects with illustration and through that started to imagine how to take my own practice to new directions with three dimensional illustrations. 

I also fell in love with people watching. In New York people seemed to feel free to express themselves with their clothes and style just the way they wanted. There was tons of diversity in self-expression, which I found very inspiring!

5.    Can you name one thing, person or place that inspired you or gave you a new perspective of yourself, your work or your practice?

It’s so hard to pick just one, but for me the place must be by one specific wall in building 3 of Industry City, my mural wall. I was very fortunate to get a chance to paint a mural during my residency, an absolute dream come true for me. The whole week of preparing and painting the mural was such a fun ride. During that week I not only had a chance to put my work out there in New York City out of all places, but I also got to experience so many inspiring conversations and encounters while painting it. It was so fascinating to talk about design, illustration, and art with people from all walks of life and hear their views on the value of creativity and design in shared spaces. 

6.    Would you be interested in coming back and pursuing new collaborations in the US?

Absolutely! New York is such an addicting place; these two months just made me crave for more. I’m hoping to be able to return as soon as possible, hopefully already at the end of this year! In the long run my dream is to be able to be in New York more regularly and to make my creative practice a more international one. 

7.    What’s next for you besides this specific project, do you have upcoming projects, travels, or exhibits you would like to share?

Now that I’m back home I will continue with my exhibition plan, a process that I started during my residency. In addition, I will finish my MA thesis and get back to client work. I have a few very intriguing illustration projects coming up next and I’m happy to say that I will also have a chance to pick up the paint brushes again in just a few weeks. I will paint a new mural for Flow Festival, a music festival happening in Helsinki in mid-August.

8.    How was your experience at Camp David, as well as part of the Industry City community? 

During the residency it was great to have an additional home base in addition to my actual home in Harlem. I enjoyed commuting to Camp David when the plan of the day was to do some sketching and laptop working, for example my mural draft was born in there! Industry City in general was a fun place to meet up with other creatives and I got to visit some of the amazing studios and offices around the campus. The mural painting of course made the whole place extra special for me, I have so many fond memories from that week.