April 25, 2025

Bart® Genelec® Japan series installed in Genelec’s Japan Office in Tokyo

Genelec Japan Office

BART is proud and excited to announce that the fruitful collaboration between Business Art and Geneleccontinues – and has now reached a new milestone. The first of the three Bart® Genelec® affiliate series, Bart® Genelec® Japan, has been installed at the Genelec office in Minato City, Tokyo, Japan.

This series celebrates cross-cultural dialogue through photographic art, marking an important step in our ongoing international collaboration.

Bart and Genelec are looking forward to the placement of the Bart® Genelec® USA and Bart® Genelec® China series as well.

April 10, 2025  SAM Magazine

From Tampere to the Northeast: How Bart is reinventing cultural exchange between Finland and the U.S.

Text: Lena Grenat, Artworks/pictures: Jari Arffman

Bart Meconet Oy, Vantaa, Finland, 2006. Through the lens of a camera and the language of enterprise, Bart is Redefining what cultural exchange can look like in the 21st century. Photo: © Jari Arffman

What began as a photography exhibition in Peru has evolved into a dynamic cross-Atlantic partnership that bridges the worlds of art, and business. At the heart of this journey is Bart—short for Business Art—a Finnish cultural export initiative founded by (photographer) photographic artist Jari Arffman and expanded into the U.S. by his American business partner, Maxwell Pennock.

Bart is not your typical art project. It blends the storytelling power of photography with the environments of business, creating visually rich experiences in spaces where people live and work.

It is a unique concept of artistic collaboration, where (I) Bart produces ready-to-hang black and white artworks for companies and other organizations to represent themselves. Bart has collaborated with more than 80 Finnish businesses and institutions. Now, it’s finding new life and new purpose on the U.S. East Coast.

“Photographic art is a universal language,” Jari Arffman explains. “Whether I’ve exhibited in Los Angeles, Hancock, Seattle, Tallinn, Oslo or Kajaani, I’ve found people respond deeply to images that tell human stories. Bart is about connecting people across borders through shared experiences.”

Cultural exchange as a connector

The expansion to the United States wasn’t accidental. It began when Maxwell Pennock, a longtime friend of Arffman, reached out in 2022. Their renewed collaboration coincided with the Ice Hockey World Championships in Tampere, leading to a series of discussions about cultural identity, market strategy, and shared values between the two nations.

Pennock sees Bart as a timely and necessary model for cultural diplomacy. “Finland is often seen as an enigma in the U.S.,” he says. “Too many Americans don’t really know what Finland represents. Art can change that. It creates a collective cultural consciousness – a positive exchange of images, structures, and ideals.”

Pennock, having his boots on the ground in the US, brings a needed perspective to the project. His understanding of U.S. business culture, his familiarity with Finnish values, and Finland’s unique relationship with nature provide an ideal foundation for fostering mutual understanding.

Bart Valtra Inc., Suolahti, Finland, 2008. “They could be called portraits of products.” – Asko Mäkelä, Art Historian, Curator Photo: © Jari Arffman

A new kind of “landscape”

While Finnish photography has long been appreciated in the U.S. for its depiction of nature and solitude, Bart offers something different. “This is a different kind of landscape,” Pennock says. “Bart focuses on the human relationship with work and business. It reflects everyday productivity and purpose, things that transcend nationality.”

In a polarized U.S. climate, Bart’s apolitical, human-centered messaging resonates. “We all work,” Pennock notes. “We might not agree on politics, but we can all relate to the effort we give every day. Bart provides a visual narrative around that shared reality, without triggering controversy. That’s powerful.”
Art meets market strategy

Unlike traditional art exports that rely on gallery exposure, Bart enters a broader, B2B market: businesses with their lobbies and offices, public spaces, educational institutions. This strategic positioning reflects both necessity and innovation. According to Arffman, the traditional funding models for visual arts don’t support long-term sustainability. That’s why public funding from Cultural Export of Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture during 2008-2010 was so vital during Bart’s development phase in Finland.

“Bart USA is not a one-off export of framed Bart series,” Arffman says. “It’s a model also for long-term license earning potential for professionally photographing artists in U.S. by integrating art, economy, and cultural identity.”

Pennock agrees. “The American art market is extremely competitive, especially in cities like New York and Los Angeles. But Bart doesn’t compete with gallery artists, it creates a new space entirely. By working directly with businesses, we bypass the traditional barriers while offering genuine cultural value.”

Lessons learned across borders

That said, entering the U.S. market isn’t without challenges. The physical distance, cultural nuances, and fast-paced business expectations require adaptation. But both Arffman and Pennock view these as opportunities for growth.

“Americans are more direct and risk-tolerant,” Pennock observes. “Finns tend to be more methodical. The strength of this project lies in combining those traits. Belief fuels risk, and that’s what we’re doing, believing in the value of Finnish art.”

Bart Oy Forcit Ab, Pajala, Sweden 2019. “American workers often don’t feel seen. Bart gives dignity to that work. It celebrates the human effort in a way that’s authentic, beautiful, and Deeply Finnish.” – Max Pennock, BART USA General Manager Partner Photo: Jari Arffman

Social media has also played a major role in bridging the gap. Jari Arffman, who had no prior experience with digital platforms, now actively engages with audiences through LinkedIn and the Bart company page. “The expansion of Bart into the U.S. has been an incredible learning experience”, he says. “This journey is making me a better artist, and, I hope, a better human being.”

For Pennock, the journey has also been personal. His research into the Kalevala, Finland’s national epic, opened a deeper understanding of Finnish values, especially the connection between nature, work, and the human spirit. Ultimately, Maxwell Pennock sees Bart as a platform not just for art, but for inspiration. “American workers often don’t feel seen. Bart gives dignity to that work. It celebrates the human effort in a way that’s authentic, beautiful, and deeply Finnish.”

Looking ahead

As Bart continues to expand in the United States, it carries with it more than images – it carries stories, values, and the possibility of mutual respect between two countries that have much to learn from one another. Through the lens of a camera and the language of enterprise, Bart is redefining what cultural exchange can look like in the 21st century.

And perhaps most importantly, it reminds us that art doesn’t just reflect the world, it helps connect the people who live in it.

March 18, 2025   BART Business Art Image Export Initiative

BART has a date at the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York!

Exciting times ahead as BART General Managing Partner, Max Pennock has a scheduled meeting with the director of the Finnish Cultural Institute, Kati Laakso in their new Brooklyn Office in DUMBO on May 5th! More details of the agenda pending release.

BART is all about bringing photographic art into workspaces, enhancing workplace well-being, and empowering working communities through art.

Finnish Cultural Institute
917-692-0609
www.fciny.org