By John Owoo
(In Helsinki – Finland)
A group exhibition featuring works from forty-nine artists drawn from the Finnish National Gallery’s collection, is curently underway at the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art in the Finnish capital, Helsinki.
Titled “Feels Like Home”, the exhibition reflects on the theme of home and belonging through contemporary art, while exposing the fact that belonging is linked to identity – indeed, to who we are and where we come from.
Curated by Saara Hacklin, Satu Oksanen and Saara Karhunen, the featured artworks show that home can be a physical place, a community and / or a state of mind while reminding us that home can also be found in a language or culture.
Featured artists are Titta Aaltonen, Petri Ala-Maunus, Ahmed Al-Nawas, Farah Al Qasimi, Elina Brotherus, Berlinde de Bruyckere, Otto Byström, Samira Elagoz & Z Walsh, Veli Granö, Marjatta Hanhijoki, Mona Hatoum, Maarit Hohteri, Henna Hyvärinen, Joonas Hyvönen and Inka-Maaria Jurvanen.
Others are Tellervo Kalleinen & Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen, Essi Kausalainen, Hertta Kiiski and Elle Klarskov Jørgensen, Jannis Kounellis, Mikko Kuorinki, Raakel Kuukka, Runo Lagomarsino, Jouni S. Laiti, Jouko Lehtola, Niina Lehtonen Braun, Henrietta Lehtonen, Susanna Majuri and Olof Marsja.
The rest are Cildo Meireles, Anneli Nygren, Frida Orupabo, Kalervo Palsa, Anu Pennanen, Emma Peura, Jaakko Pietiläinen, Tiina Pyykkinen, Sepideh Rahaa, Bita Razavi, Jani Ruscica, Azar Saiyar, Anastasia Sosunova, Kaarlo Stauffer, Nestori Syrjälä, Lesia Vasylchenko, Danh Võ and Laura Wesamaa.
Comprising paintings, sculptures, videos, photographs and installations, the exhibition equally shares experiences of how it feels when home is lost or far away, whether by choice or force of circumstance. Undeniably, war and exile can sever ties with loved ones and beloved places.
The artists, singularly and collectively show that loss and longing can be passed down through generations. The artworks also reveal that individual experiences are intertwined with social change and broader historical events.
Notably, home and belonging are important topics of discussion in contemporary Finland. Many Finns are touched on a personal level by migrations and diasporic transitions. Finland has grown more diverse and Finnish artists now come from a growing variety of cultural backgrounds.
Subjects of the artworks are as varied as the materials – indeed, the works are brought together so that a visitor would notice similarities and differences between them. Nevertheless, there are very little tensions, encounters or implusive snowballing effects.
The Finnish National Gallery’s contemporary art collection comprises around 8,800 works dating from the 1970s to date. Kiasma’s collection exhibitions are extensively curated displays that include newly acquired works within a broader historical context.
Themes chosen for these exhibitions reflect the issues of the day and highlight latest developments within the arena of contemporary art. “Feels Like Home” is set to run throughout 2024 and will also shape Kiasma’s Theatre offering and the museum’s public programming.
