The third edition of Helsinki Biennial will be titled Shelter: Below and beyond, becoming and belonging, the Biennial has announced.
Curated by Blanca de la Torre, who lead the 15 International Cuenca Biennial, and Kati Kivinen, head of exhibitions at HAM Helsinki Art Museum, Shelter takes inspiration from the ecological contellations of the city’s local Vallisaari island, whose habitats have been partially protected from human settlements. Seeing the idea of ‘shelter’ not as a ‘physical barrier’ but a ‘a nurturing space – psychological, social, or ecological – where all forms of life can find protection and thrive’, the exhibition will explore ideas of cohabitation and reimagine the place of humans in nature.
Around 35 Finnish and international artists will be invited to participate. Among the new commissions or site-specific works confirmed are works by Band of Weeds (FI), Ana Teresa Barboza (PE), Sara Bjarland (FI/ NL), Tania Candiani (MX), Olafur Eliasson (DK/IS), Geraldine Javier (PH), LOCUS (Tanja Thorjussen & Thale Blix Fastvold) (NO), Nabbteeri (FI), Ernesto Neto (BR), Otobong Nkanga (NG/BE) and Hans Rosenström (FI).
Helsinki Biennial 2025 will take place from 8 June to 21 September 2025, across Vallisaari island in the Helsinki archipelago, HAM Helsinki Art Museum, and, for the first time, Esplanade Park in central Helsinki.
