BONK 100 – ALVAR GULLICHSEN
This summer, one of Finland’s oldest and most prestigious industrial companies, Bonk Business Inc, celebrates its 100th anniversary at the Pori Art Museum with a modern, open, and accessible exhibition. Overflowing with nostalgic memories of Finnish life, the exhibition chronicles the milestones of industrial history since 1893, culminating in Bonk’s recent breakthroughs in cutting-edge technology. Highlights include the nationally treasured Bonk machines from the turn of the 20th century and the now-classic innovations of Finland’s post-war era.
The treasures showcased in the exhibition have been loaned from various museum collections. However, the exhibition goes beyond presenting masterpieces hailed by experts as the pinnacles of design. It also features carefully restored crowd favorites from different decades, ensuring the exhibition captures the core of Finnish identity. Much like the genuine Bonk classics, this exhibition serves as a springboard for embracing contemporary internationalism.
The Pori Art Museum embraces the Bonk phenomenon as a challenge and an opportunity. The exhibition is anticipated to be a monumental success, appealing to sponsors and the general public alike. Organizers predict it will draw crowds that fill streets and pathways—a mega-exhibition attracting an international audience to Pori, with nearly 300,000 paying visitors expected during the summer. Bonk machines immediately convey their meaning to viewers, designed not solely for a narrow elite of experts but for everyone. Exhibitions at the Pori Art Museum continue to deliver top-level professionalism, quality, and beauty.
The exhibition also includes a variety of related products and events, offering visitors the opportunity to combine their museum visit with other cultural experiences in Pori. From the diverse concerts of the 28th Pori international jazz festival to other local attractions, the city promises an unforgettable cultural summer. Based on advance bookings, the exhibition is poised to exceed all expectations.
Just as Bonk Business Inc embodies seamless creative cooperation, this exhibition owes its existence to the same spirit of collaboration. At the turn of the 20th century, Pär Bonk was an explorer and innovator whose remarkable legacy stands as a testament to the unification of the finest talents in the pursuit of selfless technological advancement. Today, Alvar Gullichsen, Bonk Business Inc’s Product Development Manager, continues that legacy. Since the 1980s, Gullichsen has successfully steered the company’s defunctionalization process to its final stages, culminating in the exhibition debut of the fully defunctionalized Raba Hiff Eggstream. The exhibition also features an extensive photographic and documentary archive assembled by Magnus Weckström from the Bonk archives.
Thanks to the invaluable efforts of the expert working group over several years and the generous support of numerous sponsors, this exhibition showcases the extraordinary journey of Bonk Business Inc—from modest beginnings in the late 20th century to its current international standing. The Pori Art Museum is proud to dedicate all its galleries, as well as its stunning outdoor spaces, to this spectacular presentation for the entire summer.
Bonk Business Inc and the Pori Art Museum extend their heartfelt thanks to their sponsors and countless supporters, acknowledging everyone collectively without mentioning specific names but ensuring no one is overlooked.
Exhibition expert working group:
Alvar Gullichsen: Design of Bonk machines and products
Magnus Weckström: Photography
Henrik Helpiö: Planning and execution of Bonk machine restoration
Jyrki Ylä-Outinen: Exhibition architecture
Richard Stanley: Historian and scriptwriter
Sigurd Gustavsson: Historian
Translated with ChatGPT