Helsinki Biennial Announces Artists for 2025 Edition
139April 1, 2025
The organizers of theHelsinki Biennialhave revealed the thirty-seven artists and collectives who will participate in the event’s third iteration, set to run from June 8 through September 21, 2025, on Vallisaari Island, in Esplanade Park, and at the HAM Helsinki Art Museum. Curated by Blanca de la Torre and Kati Kivinen, this year’s edition is titled “Shelter: Below and Beyond, Becoming and Belonging” and is inspired by Vallisaari Island, which has for decades been shielded from human habitation. The 2025 Biennial will examine the importance of shelter as well as the roles of plants, animals, insects, water, and minerals in relation to the earth’s well-being.
“Helsinki Biennial 2025 provides a unique opportunity to re-evaluate our conception of the relationship between humans and nature,” said De la Torre and Kivinen in a statement. “Amid the diverse environment of Vallisaari Island, the climate crisis, and the loss of biodiversity, the biennial invites reflection on shelter as a caring space where all lifeforms can thrive. We want to create new ways of coexisting in a world that needs more understanding and empathy and to inspire positive environmental action.”
This year’s cohort represent thirty different cultures, with many artists hailing from the Nordic countries, Latin America, and Asia. Among the participants are Icelandic Danish sculptor and installation artist Olafur Eliasson; Danish environmental artist Tue Greenfort; Japanese multidisciplinary artist Yayoi Kusama; Brazilian sculptor Ernesto Neto; Nigerian-born tapestry maker and performance artist Otobong Nkanga, who is based in Belgium; and Italian artist and sculptor Giuseppe Penone.
A complete list of participants is below.
Maria Thereza Alves (Brazil/Germany)Band of Weeds (Finland)Ana Teresa Barboza (Peru)Sissel M Bergh (Sápmi/Norway)Sara Bjarland (Finland/Netherlands)Saskia Calderón (Ecuador)Edgar Calel (Guatemala)Tania Candiani (Mexico)Regina de Miguel (Spain/Germany)Olafur Eliasson (Denmark/Iceland)Carola Grahn (Saepmie/Sweden)Tue Greenfort (Denmark)Kalle Hamm (Finalnd) & Dzamil Kamanger (Iran/Finland)Tamara Henderson (Canada/Australia)Gunzi Holmström (Finland)Katie Holten (Ireland/US)Ingela Ihrman (Sweden)Geraldine Javier (Philippines)Aluaiy Kaumakan (Taiwan)Kristiina Koskentola (Finland/Netherlands)Yayoi Kusama (Japan)Jenni Laiti (Finland/Sweden) & Carl-Johan Utsi (Sweden)LOCUS / Thale Blix Fastvold & Tanja Thorjussen (Norway)nabbteeri (Finland)Ernesto Neto (Brazil)Otobong Nkanga (Nigeria/Belgium)Giuseppe Penone (Italy)Laura Põld (Estonia/Austria)Marjetica Potrč (Slovenia)Kati Roover (Estonia/Finland)Hans Rosenström (Finland)Paul Rosero Contreras (Ecuador)Raimo Saarinen (Finland)Pia Sirén (Finland)Theresa Traore Dahlberg (Sweden/Burkina Faso)Nomeda & Gediminas Urbonas (Lithuania/US)Juan Zamora (Spain)