Biography

Stefan Lindfors graduated from the University of Art and Design Helsinki, Finland, as Interior Architect and Furniture Designer – in 1988.

THE EVERYDAY TODAY

Lindfors maintains active careers as Designer and Artist with projects ranging from architecture and sculpture to unexpected installations and film… He also continues to keep a schedule as a devoted speaker.

MOTTO

“Identity is everything! Without a genuine identity in my work, I would feel lost, useless, and uninteresting…!”

CLIENT LIST

Beginning in 2025 Lindfors’ main client as Designer is stefanlindfors®.

Lindfors’ client list so far — as Artist, Designer, and film maker — includes, among many others: Alessi, Amnesty, Arabia, Artek, Åbo Akademi, Buster Boats, DNA, Finavia, Hackman, Helsinki International Airport, Helsinki Public Transport, Iittala, Ilmatar Wind, Ingo Maurer, JCDecaux, Lundia, Marimekko, Martela, Neste, Nokia, Piiroinen, Prime Hotels, Sony Playstation, Strawberry, Swatch, Valio, Viking Line, Vitra, and Warner Music.

FIRST CAREER ATTENTIONS IN THREE WORLDS

  • 1. In 1992 Lindfors received the largest cultural award in the Nordic countries – the “Väinö Tanner Trailblazer Award”. The jury described him as a “Rennaisance Man”, and The Times (London) wrote: “Calling Lindfors an Industrial Designer would be like calling a Stravinsky Symphony a nice song.”

  • 2. In 2001 The New York Times declared Lindfors’ sculpture façade for The Gershwin Hotel “A new landmark on Manhattan”.

  • 3. In 2004 KERRANG! magazine (London) gave the “Best Video of the Year” award to HIM’s “Funeral of Hearts” – written and directed by Lindfors.

QUICK BACKTRACK

Already at the start of his studies, Lindfors refused to accept boundaries within the worlds of art and design.

In 1988 Lindfors’ lamp “Scaragoo” was introduced by Ingo Maurer at the Milano Design Week, receiving worldwide attention. Lindfors was recognized as a Designer.

In 1991 Lindfors held his first one-man show of large-scale sculptures at a museum – The Amos Anderson Art Museum, Helsinki. He got TV News attention, and was now also titled as a Sculptor.

In 1992 he received the “Georg Jensen Prisen” award in Copenhagen by Queen Ingrid.

Photo: Marko Melander 2025

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

Attitude, Identity, and Collaboration Across Borders

Stefan Lindfors has always been recognized as an honest and outspoken Artist with a sometimes almost self-ironic attitude regarding his own endeavours. He is known as always showing face, presenting his work in person by critical & sincere statements.

Most important of all: Lindfors’ mission in life is to create new. In essence: He simply won’t execute anything whithout finding a unique angle to the project in question. The media has often stated that Lindfors’ ability to think different and surprise his audience are in fact his “trademark”.

Lindfors also strongly argues that “The industry of Art, Design, Architecture, Marketing, Advertising, the Sales people, Audiovisual communication, Public Affairs, PR, and the (Social) Media are all connected!”

Therefore he’s is quite obviously often quoted on the following point: “The Greater Industry many times includes all or several of the above mentioned, and in order to achieve profitable business it certainly helps when these different worlds of practice can all work together and unite in a creative and dynamic fashion.”

Photo: Marko Melander 2025

ACADEMICS

On the academic level Stefan Lindfors has held positions as professor and/or teacher at Universities of art, design and architecture in the capitals of all Nordic countries, as well as in the United States.

Kansas City Art Institute & US residence: In 1993 Lindfors was invited to create and implement a completely new curriculum for the Design Department at KCAI (Missouri, USA) all according to his own visions. He was appointed Distuingished Professor of Design as well as Chairman of the Design Department with a tenure position. Being the youngest Chairman of a department in higher art education in the U.S. in 1994, and having created his own critically acclaimed art work simultaneously, he received Permanent Residence as Outstanding Artist in the United States. Moving on to New York City in 1996, the student enrollment at his department at KCAI was up 34% since 1993.

LECTURES

Lindfors maintains an active schedule as devoted speaker for corporations, institutions and universities.

JURY WORK

Within Design, Architecture and the Arts, Lindfors has served on numerous juries internationally since 1990. In the advertising world, Lindfors has served as juror at Cannes Lions and the One Show (New York).

Photo: Marko Melander 2025