Marimekko has a long tradition of inviting artists and creatives from all walks of life to create bold and colorful prints to bring joy to the everyday lives of people. To celebrate Pride Month 2024, it felt only natural to continue this tradition with visual artists from the LGBTQIA+ community. Our store windows in New York City and Helsinki will feature installations by local creators, serving as a powerful reminder to all visitors, friends and passersby of Marimekko founder Armi Ratia’s enduring message “There is only one strength—love.”
This Pride Month, the words of Armi will be vividly reimagined through art installations by Emma Thomas and Zander Schlacter.
Meet the artists
Emma Thomas
Emma Thomas is a Finnish-American visual artist. She graduated with a BA in Fine Arts in 2019 and has since been living and working in Helsinki. Her main focus is painting and drawing on paper, but during the pandemic, she began experimenting with textiles. The themes in her work are heavily influenced by Renaissance art, mythology and art history. Using classic themes and motifs, she portrays her own reality as a woman dealing with grief, anger, joy and sexuality in our modern age.
Discover Emma’s artwork for Pride Month 2024 at Marimekko Aleksinkulma, Aleksanterinkatu 50, Helsinki.
Helsinki Pride parade takes place on Saturday 29 June 2024.
Zander Schlacter
An artist and designer based in Brooklyn, NYC, Zander Schlacter, works primarily within the medium of textiles. His work is characterized by eccentric surface designs and complex repeat pattern geometry, rendered in bold, adventurous color combinations. The ornamentation in Zander’s work draws from sources throughout histories of craft, design and queer aesthetics, which are remixed and synthesized into a playful and zany vibration for the present day. His artwork and textile prints have been applied to sculpture, home decor accessories, bedding, wallpaper, apparel, books and ceramic tiles.
Find Zander’s artwork for Pride Month 2024 at Marimekko New York, 97 Wooster St., NYC.
New York Pride parade takes place on Sunday 30 June 2024.
Marimekko has been an official partner of Helsinki Pride since 2018.
