Graduation Exhibitions from Beckmans, Malmstens, and Handarbetets Vänner
It’s time to take a closer look at the new generation of designers. Following a recent visit to Konstfack’s graduation exhibition—an experience marked by energy, urgency, and a clear intent to act rather than reflect—we now turn to three other significant design institutions: Beckmans College of Design, Malmstens, and Handarbetets Vänner.
Where Konstfack presented bold initiative and a strong sense of purpose, these schools offer something different: a quiet emotional resonance, a poetic sensibility. What emerges is a generation fluent in technique, but even more attuned to feeling. Beauty, emotion, and craft take precedence over utility—and that, too, can be a powerful statement.
But first a quick thought. One can’t help but notice that major media outlets tend to spotlight only Konstfack and Beckmans, leaving Malmstens and Handarbetets Vänner largely in the shadows. This selective focus does a disservice to the remarkable talent on display elsewhere. In a recent Dagens Nyheter review of Beckmans, the critic noted a kind of digital fatigue in the exhibition. I, however, came away with a very different impression. Rather than exhaustion, I sensed presence—an intimacy with materials and a deep connection to the emotional self.
At Handarbetets Vänner, Alicia Sivertsson presents a double-sided textile work resembling a flag, layered with intricate techniques. At its heart, a dreamlike image of powerful horses baring their throats—an image both tender and commanding.
Lisa Breitkreuz from Malmstens addresses emotional wellbeing directly, sculpting animal-shaped weighted objects designed to soothe anxiety. Here, form becomes a vehicle for emotional care.
Beckmans student Alva Jonasdotter Lundmark explores subtle gradations in light and material through her series of luminaires. Her work doesn’t shout, but it stays with you.
Notice also how the colour palette is almost etherial.
Dream Worlds and Inner Struggles. A standout piece by Alix Bodin at Handarbetets Vänner features a woven landscape with hues of sunset and a curious central figure. Is it a mythical creature? A troll? Or a human confronting inner demons?
Hedvig Isoz also delves into dreamlike themes, but it is her technical virtuosity—multiple layers of textile craft—that truly captivates.
Then there is Cecilia Rang, whose work left even my guide at Handarbetets Vänner visibly awestruck. Not only is the shifting blackness in her piece exceptionally difficult to achieve, the embroidered lettering is equally sophisticated. It is both visual and tactile poetry.
Heritage and Subversion. At Beckmans, Love Persson revisits a personal family archive by reimagining their mother’s graduation project. The result—a table top resting delicately on a round stone—is perhaps impractical, but deeply moving.
From Malmstens, Linnea Nilsson Lundell bridges tradition and innovation, building classical wooden furniture using textile methods. Her cabinet, already shown at Stockholm Furniture Fair, remains a striking example of hybrid craft.
Of course, there are outstanding students who don’t quite fit this emotional analysis. Malmstens continues to produce technically masterful woodworkers—Odd Åsberg, Alexandra Lindmark, and Oscar Andersson among them.
At Beckmans, Siri Löven’s glass jars for food preservation intrigue with their understated elegance, while Ellen Nilsson’s luminaires offer repetition as a form of quiet rhythm. Handarbetets Vänner also shines with compelling works from Esther Sailer and Signe Bjurman.
Feeling Over Function.
What, then, unites this year’s graduates? If there is a shared thread, it is this: a heightened emotional presence. Their works do not necessarily serve practical purposes—but they connect. They evoke. They linger.
And perhaps that’s exactly what design needs right now: not just problem-solving, but soul-searching.