Subterranean: Amos Rex unveils major international group exhibition this spring

Amos Rex invites media representatives to a press day on Friday, 1 April, at 9-11 am, and a virtual opening via the museum’s YouTube channel that night at 7 pm. The virtual opening will take a look behind the scenes of Subterranean and opens the themes of the exhibition. Some of the artists will be present on the press day. 

Registration and program: https://amosrex.fi/en/press-event-of-subterranean/ 
It is possible to participate in the event through a stream.
Photos and press material: https://media.amosrex.fi/l/jzLd6cWjqv8j 

At Subterranean, contemporary and historical works form a diverse, multi-faceted image of underground realities. The exhibition includes paintings, sculptures, photographs, installations and video art. The oldest work is from the seventeenthcentury, while the newest ones were completed just for this exhibition. 

The exhibition’s themes encompass fairy tales, religion, science and nature. Subterranean’s four themes are Geology – Caves and Cavities, Mythologies – Descending into the Underworld, Down the Rabbit Hole – The Fictional Depth and Man-made – Exploration and Exploitation. The exhibition’s curators are Pontus Kyander, who developed the exhibition concept and Anastasia Isakova.

“The exhibition explores our complex relationship with the underground world and its role in our lives and imaginations. The themes of the exhibition bring forth different interpretations of the subterranean and how the subject has captured the imagination of artists through the centuries. Artists of the Romantic period were drawn to the sculptural form and majestic presence of volcanoes and caves, while contemporary artists are interested in our impact on the underground itself and the consequences of exploiting it. In other words, this subject has a very long tradition in art,” says the exhibition’s curator, Anastasia Isakova. 

The works take us underground to a world that is enigmatic, exciting, attractive, dangerous and mysterious. There is more beneath the earth's surface besides earth, minerals and roots. There is also the glowing magma of volcanoes, underground aquifers, unexplored caves, rabbit holes, catacombs and Metro tunnels. 

During the Subterranean exhibition, visitors may take part in guided tours delving into various themes of the show, and in June Amos Rex offers tours for those visiting with young children in prams. The museum’s art workshop Studio Rex will be converted into a cave, where visitors are invited to consider how the story of the exhibition might continue, or how it began.  

The Subterranean artists:  

Roma Auskalnyte, Felipe de Ávila Franco, Per Barclay, Antoine-Louis Barye, Ursula Biemann, Louise Bourgeois, Tom Claassen, J. F. Clemens / Nicolai Abildgaard, Johan Christian Dahl, Tacita Dean, A K Dolven, Gustave Doré, Cho Duck-Hyun, Cecilia Edefalk, Magnus Enckell, Anna Estarriola, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Helene Garberg, Ane Graff, Håkon Gullvåg, Inma Herrera, Nicola Hicks, Leif Holmstrand, Peter Johansson, Per Kirkeby, Jussi Kivi, John Augustus Knapp, Britta Marakatt-Labba, Lucila Mayol, Elina Merenmies, Gustav Metzger, Felix Nadar, Joar Nango & Ken Are Bongo, Ernesto Neto, Mariele Neudecker, Tuula Närhinen, João Penalva, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Tal R, Eduard Riou, Pipilotti Rist, Auguste Rodin, Nina Roos, Hans Rosenström, Martinus Rørbye, Geir Harald Samuelsen, Sten Are Sandbeck, Nedko Solakov, Axel Straschnoy, Pascale Marthine Tayou, John Tenniel, Katja Tukiainen, Marianna Uutinen, Marko Vuokola, Jens Ferdinand Willumsen, Per Wizén, Joseph Wright of Derby, YOUNG-HAE CHANG HEAVY INDUSTRIES 

In May, Japanese sculptor Tadashi Kawamata’s The Nest, a sculptural installation made of recycled materials, will be unveiled on Glass Palace Square. The work is attached to the Glass Palace building, like an alien creature in a familiar environment. Kawamata is available for interviews May 2-6, 2022, while the work is under construction. Tadashi Kawamata: The Nest will be on display from May 7 to September 4, 2022.