The Girl Who Turned into a Rosebush

The Girl Who Turned into a Rosebush examines practices of seeing and presenting. The exhibition features works from the Leonard and Katarina Bäcksbacka Collection – the core of the HAM collection – alongside newer HAM-owned pieces and selected works of contemporary art.

The curator Asta Kihlman, PhD, juxtaposes new and old iconography as a way of comparing and contrasting, pulling together thematic threads in a mutually enlightening dialogue. Through close reading, Kihlman draws attention to details that might initially seem irrelevant, but which can lead to intriguing new interpretations.

- Comprising 448 works, the Bäcksbacka Collection still forms the backbone of our museum to this day. It contains a representative sample of the most interesting art of its era and provides an enlightening overview of the history of Finnish modernism. But, for an old collection to retain its freshness and relevance, it must be exposed to new readings  and critical reappraisals, says Arja Miller, Director of HAM Helsinki Art Museum.

- Certain recurring tropes come to the fore in the Bäcksbacka Collection, notably themes related to politics of the gaze, the body, expressions of habitus, and the genres of the still life and landscape. Featuring art of various genres, HAM’s exhibition The Girl Who Turned into a Rosebush is structured around these five themes. Paying tribute to Bäcksbacka’s taste in art, the exhibition presents his favourite artists and movements in the form of a thematic journey through the rooms of the gallery, says the exhibition’s curator Asta Kihlman.

The exhibition also provides an opportunity to examine collecting practices and the accumulation of art collections. At the same time, the exhibition yields insights on various art movements, techniques, art theories and approaches to creating art. As a further key theme, it additionally examines the power of images to impart narratives and influence the viewer.

The Leonard and Katarina Bäcksbacka Collection played a major role in the genesis of the Helsinki City Art Museum. This 448-piece collection donated to the City of Helsinki in 1976 remains the cornerstone of the HAM collections to this day. Christina Bäcksbacka, PhD, has carried on the valuable work done by her grandparents and her father Ingjald Bäcksbacka as both a collector and gallerist. An additional total of 370 works have been donated to HAM as part of the Ingjald Bäcksbacka and Christina Bäcksbacka Collections.

- Every meaningful artwork is always touching in some way, and every viewer is entitled to their own interpretation, as befits their personality and circumstances, highlights Christina Bäcksbacka.

The exhibition features works by a total of 31 artists. Some of the delicate paper-based works in the exhibition are exchanged midway through with other works by the same artist to limit their exposure to light. At any given time, the exhibition includes 40 artworks or sets of artworks. Of these, 11 are works or sets that will be exchanged.

The featured artists are Louise Bourgeois, Yngve Bäck, Jules Cavaillès, Shia Conlon, Erik Creutziger, Saara Ekström, Magnus Enckell, Hilda Maria Flodin, Emma Helle, Emma Jääskeläinen, Sylvester Kivelä, Ervin Latimer, William Lönnberg, Heikki Marila, Mauno Markkula, Ana Mendieta, Olli Miettinen, Tina Modotti, Dennis Oppenheim, Tero Puha, Valle Rosenberg, Jalmari Ruokokoski, Noora Sandgren, Vidha Saumya, Sigrid Schauman, Elga Sesemann, Joel Slotte, Ellen Thesleff, Salla Tykkä, Hanna Weselius and Hannah Wilke. 

The exhibition is supported by the Finnish Heritage Agency.

HAM is launching a publication by curator Asta Kihlman in conjunction with the exhibition. Titled 'The Girl Who Turned into a Rosebush,' the book is available for purchase at the HAM shop for €18.

The Girl Who Turned into a Rosebush
9.2.–29.9.2024
HAM Helsinki Art Museum