Springtime at HAM looks for connection and empathy

Two exhibitions reflecting the challenges of living on Earth will open in the Tennis Palace on 17 May: the southern arched hall will host Nastja Säde Rönkkö's impressive installation Survival Guide for a Post-Apocalyptic Child, while an examination of the coexistence of humans and other species – titled Who is an Animal? – will be exhibited in the northern arched hall.

Nastja Säde Rönkkö: Survival Guide for a Post-Apocalyptic Child 

Survival Guide for a Post-Apocalyptic Child is a multimedia installation by Nastja Säde Rönkkö, which reflects on the uncertain future of our planet through media art. At the core of the work, 26 videos examine various perspectives on life in the middle of some major change: emotional and practical ways to survive catastrophes, upheavals or crises. The videos share stories about the last moments of the current humanity, nature, longing, and loss. At the same time, the videos also look into love, humaneness, the future, and care.

A guidebook carrying the name of the exhibition will be published in connection with the exhibition, in collaboration with the artist and the Lönnström Art Museum. In addition, the exhibition at HAM will include a new thematic series of sculptures as well as a customised soundscape that ties the exhibition together. The installation was originally produced by the Lönnström Art Museum as part of the Lönnström Project initiative in autumn 2022. The exhibition is curated by HAM’s head of exhibitions, Kati Kivinen, and curator Satu Metsola. The exhibition is open 17.5.–8.9.2024.

Who Is an Animal?

The exhibition Who Is an Animal? invites visitors to stop and look at the animal as a source of artistic fascination down through the years, while remaining mysterious and inexplicable. The exhibition is primarily based on HAM’s art collection – property of all Helsinki residents. Its 80 works are grouped into themes that serve as points of discussion for various topics, such as how animals are depicted, their habitats, mistreatment, coexistence, and agency.

Who Is an Animal? draws attention to how artists strive even more to break the power structure between humans and other animals, and make visible what unites us.

The exhibition is curated by HAM’s curator Sanna Juntunen and features works by numerous artists including Jasmin Anoschkin, Eeva-Leena Eklund, Terike Haapoja, Appu Jasu, Anne Koskis, Aura Kotkavirta, Paula Lehtonen, Maija Luutonen, Esko Männikkö, Tuula Närhinen, Dennis Oppenheim, Stiina Saaristo, Pentti Sammallahti, and Victor Westerholm.  The exhibition is open 17.5.–18.8.2024.

HAM's year 2024 begins with a gaze at the collection

HAM's new exhibitions opening in early 2024 will feature over a hundred works, most of which belong to the art collection of Helsinki residents. Together, the exhibitions form an impressive experience that presents HAM's collection in a fresh way. 

The Girl Who Turned into a Rosebush juxtaposes works from the Leonard and Katarina Bäcksbacka Collection with contemporary art from HAM’s collection. The fresh dialogue highlights many topical themes, from gender to embodiment, and the close reading of the works draws attention to the often seemingly irrelevant details of the images. Curated by Asta Kihlman, PhD, the exhibition features works by Louise Bourgeois, Magnus Enckell, Emma Helle, Heikki Marila, Ana Mendieta, Dennis Oppenheim, Jalmari Ruokokoski, Vidha Saumya, Joel Slotte, Salla Tykkä, and others. The exhibition is open 9.2.–29.9.2024. 

Bambi Forever!, a showcase of Raimo and Maarit Huttunen's donation collection, offers the opportunity to discover some 70 works assembled with passion and long-term vision. The featured artworks are painterly and expressive, conveying sadness and melancholy, but also hope and humour. The artists in the exhibition include Bo Haglund, Tiina Heiska, Mauri Kuitula, Elina Merenmies, Tarmo Paunu, Aurora Reinhard, Katja Tukiainen, Arto Väisänen and Riitta Åkerstedt. The exhibition, curated by HAM’s curator Leena Mattelmäki, is open 8.3.2024–19.5.2025.

New exhibitions at HAM during spring and summer

• The Girl Who Turned into a Rosebush 9.2.–29.4.2024 

• Bambi Forever! 8.3.–19.1.2025 

• Who Is an Animal? 17.5.–18.8.2024 

• Nastja Säde Rönkkö: Survival Guide for a Post-Apocalyptic Child  17.5.–8.9.2024 

• HAM gallery: Kristiina Mäenpää 16.3.–5.5.2024 

• HAM gallery: Laura Cemin 11.5.–30.6.2024 

• HAM gallery: Xiao Zhiyu 6.7.–1.9.2024 

Ongoing at HAM

• Haegue Yang: Continuous Reenactments –7.4.2024 

• Erkki Pirtola: Works on Paper –4.2.2024

• Tove Jansson: Party and Play –29.9.2024 

• HAM Galleria: Man Yau – Passage –3.3.2024 

The following exhibitions are supported by the Finnish Heritage Agency: Haegue Yang: Continuous Reenactments, The Girl Who Turned into a Rosebush, Nastja Säde Rönkkö: Survival Guide for a Post-Apocalyptic Child and all the exhibitions at HAM gallery.