HELSINKI CONTEMPORARY

Over five days in September, two of Hans Rosenström's recent sound installations, Broken Chord and Tidal Tears, will be presented at Weld. Both Broken Chord (2025) and Tidal Tears (2025) take the human voice – with its varying nuances and character – as their starting point. When experienced in succession, the works form an ever-changing spatial choreography of sound, light and presence.

[LINK text='Ville Andersson' href='https://helsinkicontemporary.com/artists/ville-andersson'] ’s new solo exhibition presents – as its title suggests – portraits of rocks. Every line has been carefully considered in this exquisitely executed series of drawings, inviting viewers to slow down and observe closely. Andersson himself describes the exhibition as his “acoustic album”: a return to the essentials – to pen and paper. A technically versatile artist, Andersson is known for his minimalist visual language and his meticulous ink and pencil drawings, staged photographs, digital works, and paintings. Although he works fluently across a wide range of media, the aesthetic world he creates remains remarkably cohesive and instantly recognisable. For many years, the Zen Buddhist concept of emptiness has been central to Andersson’s practice. In Zen, emptiness does not signify a lack, need or absence, but a way of understanding the interconnectedness and continual transformation of all things. In the history of art, portraiture has traditionally been reserved for depicting notable individuals. By creating portraits of stones, Andersson elevates the seemingly humble and overlooked, reminding us that all beings are inextricably connected within a larger web of relations. The works in Portraits of Rocks draw inspiration from everyday observations: sticks and stones encountered on the street. Through drawing, Andersson transforms these modest subjects into universal forms and richly textured surfaces worthy of sustained attention. Alongside Japanese aesthetics and Zen philosophy, he draws inspiration from two artists whose work likewise engaged with nature and organic forms: the American designer Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988) and the Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi (1876–1957). Executed on papers of varying tones, the drawings are quietly understated, yet never austere. Instead, they possess an earthy harmony. Portraits of Rocks recalls Andersson’s earlier exhibition Desert Music (2021), which explored the silence, vastness and blinding light of the desert. Here, however, the sublime is discovered at intimate range: the entire universe is glimpsed in a grain of sand. As Andersson sharpens his gaze, even the smallest of objects unfold into an experience of astonishing scale.

Next to art, I believe flowers bring me the greatest joy,” wrote the museum’s founder Prince Eugen in 1901. In these words, he expressed not only a personal passion, but also a way of life where art and the blooming world were intimately intertwined. In this grand presentation, art, botany and the blooming come together in a sensual tribute to the beauty, symbolism and role of flowers in our art and cultural history – from the 16th century to the present day. The thematic exhibition, both joyful and insightful, explores floral motifs in art, design, and botany from the 16th century to today. The exhibition draws from Waldemarsudde’s own rich collection as well as loans from museums and private collections. Among the artists represented are Rachel Ruysch, Hilma af Klint, Lena Cronqvist and Robert Mapplethorpe, and Lilla Tabasso.

With the exhibition Animalia. Of Animals and Humans, the Heidi Horten Collection explores the complex relationship between humans and animals. The term Animalia, borrowed from biology, serves as the guiding principle for a critical examination of how humans treat animals, reflected in circa 90 works of art from the 20th and 21st centuries. Derived from anima, the Latin word for breath or soul, the term Animalia, coined by naturalist Carl von Linné (1707–1778), encompasses both humans and animals. In contrast to this model of equality, humans' treatment of animals is characterized by a clear hierarchy. As the supposed “pinnacle of evolution,” as beings of reason that rise above the animal world, humans assign ambivalent roles to animals. Artistic representations that make these different attributions visible say a lot about humans themselves, allowing conclusions to be drawn about their self-image and methods of projection. Thus, humans are already present in every image of animals—even when they are not part of the representation. The exhibition explores the question of which social and historical structures are inscribed in representations of animals. They range from the idea of “man's best friend” to the humanization and objectification of animals to their exploitation. At the same time, the exhibition allows us to view Animalia as a thought experiment—beyond a shared biological category—as a principle of a shared model of life that considers animals as fellow creatures and co-actors. Animalia includes work from the likes of Karel Appel, Cory Arcangel, George Condo, Gustav Klimt, Meret Oppenheim, Michèle Pagel, Yan Pei-Ming, and Andy Warhol.

This major survey of the Serlachius Art Collection displays a total of 75 works by around 40 artists, ranging from Old Masters to works by Finnish Golden Age artists like Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Helene Schjerfbeck and Hugo Simberg. Works by two Finnish contemporary artists, Anna Retulainen and Anu Tuominen, are also included in the exhibition. The curators of the exhibition have sought to create an eclectic mix of works from different periods: old art can be found alongside contemporary art, and Finnish art next to works by old European Masters. One of the main themes of the exhibition is nature, to which the title of the show itself refers.

Helsinki Contemporary is proud to present paintings by [LINK text='Jon Koko' href='https://helsinkicontemporary.com/artists/jon-koko'] (Sweden), [LINK text='Marie Rud Rosenzweig' href='https://helsinkicontemporary.com/artists/marie-rud-rosenzweig'] (Denmark), and [LINK text='Marlon Wobst' href='https://helsinkicontemporary.com/artists/marlon-wobst'] (Germany) in the group exhibition Hard Cut. This marks the first presentation of Koko’s and Rosenzweig’s work to Finnish audiences. Wobst’s paintings were previously shown at Helsinki Contemporary in 2016 as part of the Animal Farm exhibition, alongside works by sculptor Roland Persson, who was recently awarded the Ars Fennica Prize. All three artists construct multi-layered paintings that play with the flatness of the picture plane in distinctive ways. Often embracing narrativity, they explore the human condition through depictions of landscapes, objects, or architecture in styles that verge on abstraction.

Santeri Lehdon maalaukset ovat kuin pieniä runoja elämästä. Hänen minimalistiset teoksensa ovat arvoituksellisia ja hienovaraisia kuin hieroglyfit, haikut tai jazz-improvisaatio. Lehdon maalausten kautta avautuu tapa kokea elämä, joka on samaan aikaan metafyysinen ja leikkisä. Lehdon tunnistettava kädenjälki syntyy spraymaalin suihkuttamisen herkästä ja varmasta eleestä. Hän luo avoimia, asbtrakteja teoksia, joissa eri elementtien vālisen jānnitteen ja komposition kautta syntyy niiden kiehtovuus ja merkitys. Lehdon maalaukset vaikuttavat ensisilmäykseltä lempeiltä ja harmonisilta, mutta kun teoksia katsoo tarkemmin, avautuu niiden syvempi, pohdiskeleva luonne. Hänen teostensa ārellä katsojat tuntuvatkin usein löytävän näennäisen vähäisistä aineksista yllättävän paljon samastumispintaa. Näyttelyn maalauksissa toistuu muotoja, jotka voi nähdä viittaavan muun muassa luontoon, kasvuun, kotiin ja ihmissuhteisiin – arkisiin pieniin asioihin, jotka ovat samalla myös niitä suurimpia asioita, suoranaisia mysteereja. Teoksissa eläma näyttäytyy kuin pienenä ihmeenä – mitā se todellisuudessa onkin. Pehmeärajaiseen, ikään kuin maalauskangasta hyväilevään viivaan mahtuu paljon niin keveyttä kuin painoa. Santeri Lehdon taiteessa tuntuu yhdistyvän sanan yksinkertainen kaksi vastakohtaista merkitystä: vilpitön, naiiviutenakin näyttäytyvä rehellisyys, sekā toisaalta kristallinkirkkaaseen muotoon yksinkertaistunut suuri elämānviisaus. Teosten sarjallisina toistuvia nimita ( LIFESTYLE ) ja näyttelyn nimi SLICE OF LIFE ovat yhtä simppeleitä ja avoimia kuin maalauksetkin. Ainoana, mutta hyvin tärkeānā, sanallisena vihjeenä toimii molemmissa toistuva sana eläma: kyse on kokonaisvaltaisesta tavasta sekä elää että pohtia ja kuvata elämāā. SLICE OF LIFE on Santeri Lehdon (s. 1982, Lappeenranta) ensimmäinen yksityisnäyttely Helsinki Contemporaryssa. Lehdon teoksia on nähty aiemmin Helsinki Contemporaryssa vuonna 2024 ryhmänäyttelyssä Not Enough Room to Swing a Cat yhdessä Jussi Gomanin ja Anton Alvarezin kanssa. Kiitos Taiteen edistämiskeskukselle taiteilijan työskentelyn tukemisesta. Tiedustelut: info@helsinkicontemporary.com

Camilla Vuorenmaa ’s third solo exhibition at Helsinki Contemporary titled Amuletti ( amulet in Finnish) explores the relationship between humans and nature, shared rituals, and the symbolic power of amulets. Working across wood carving and painting, Vuorenmaa creates colourful, richly layered works, some of which extend into the gallery space as immersive installations. This exhibition marks the first occasion on which her wood sculptures are presented publicly. The artist’s new body of work draws inspiration from Vuorenmaa’s recent stay in Kobe, Japan. During an artist residency, she engaged closely with Shintoism and the tradition of omamori amulets – objects believed to offer protection and bring good fortune. Shintoism embraces a worldview in which deities inhabit natural elements such as trees, rocks, and mountains. Affinities can be identified between Japanese beliefs and ancient Finnish folklore, which likewise regarded nature as sacred. Vuorenmaa’s recent works reflect on whether this sense of sacredness still resonates today, while acknowledging that humanity’s relationship with nature has long been marked by contradiction and subjugation. While informed by Japanese tradition, Vuorenmaa’s works also address broader questions of coexistence, community, and the pursuit of a meaningful life. She is particularly interested in how an object can acquire the status of an amulet, and how repeated gestures can evolve into private or collective rituals. Human figures play a central role in her practice, which is characterised by a compelling narrative and psychological dimension. In her new works, however, landscapes assume a more prominent presence alongside human figures. Her paintings recall Romantic imagery, where humans are embedded within the landscape and natural phenomena become symbolic reflections of human nature. Like amulets, works of art signify more than their mere physical form: they are vessels of emotion, carriers of meaning, and sites of heightened presence. In Vuorenmaa’s practice, carving and painting alternate in a reciprocal process, each informing the other. The use of wood and rough, three-dimensional surfaces lends the works an artefactual quality, forging an inseparable connection between the material and subject matter. Thank you to Finnish Cultural Foundation, Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Oskar Öflunds Stiftelse and Alfred Kordelin Foundation for supporting the artist's work. [LINK text='Online viewing room on Artsy' href='https://www.artsy.net/viewing-room/helsinki-contemporary-camilla-vuorenmaa-amuletti'] Inquiries: [LINK text='info@helsinkicontemporary.com' href='mailto:info@helsinkicontemporary.com'] [LINK href='mailto:info@helsinkicontemporary.com'] [LINK text='In Discussion: Camilla Vuorenmaa & Minna Eväsoja, Wednesday February 11 at 5– 6 pm' href='https://helsinkicontemporary.com/event/in-discussion-camilla-vuorenmaa-minna-evasoja']