EMMA’s sculpture park expands with a new commissioned work in August

A new addition to the Exhibition Centre WeeGee’s sculpture park will be unveiled in early autumn. The Rope Dancer (2025), by sculptor Pekka Jylhä (b. 1955), reflects on the uncertainty of the present and the future, portraying a delicate yet courageous figure balancing through the turbulence of the world. The striking six-metre-tall sculpture will be installed on the park side of the courtyard, at the corner of Leikki – The Museum of Play and the Finnish Museum of Horology and Jewellery Kruunu, greeting visitors arriving from Ahertajantie. Installation of the new sculpture will begin in June, and the completed piece will be unveiled to the public on Saturday 30 August at 1 pm as part of the Espoo Day celebrations.

The Rope Dancer is a significant addition to EMMA’s curated outdoor sculpture park, where each piece enters into dialogue with the brutalist concrete architecture of the WeeGee building, designed by Professor Aarno Ruusuvuori (1925–1992), and the surrounding natural landscape. The park currently features four sculptures: Passage (1990) by Matti Peltokangas, A Winding Path (2006) by Pertti Kukkonen, Pro Aqua (2005–2006) by Eero Hiironen, and Stream I (1981/2006) by Raimo Utriainen. 

Ahertajantie is home to five museums and cultural institutions: the Exhibition Centre WeeGee – which houses EMMA and KAMU Espoo City Museum – as well as Museum Leikki and the Finnish Museum of Horology and Jewellery Kruunu. Over the past year, the museum courtyard has undergone a transformation. Completed in May 2025, the landscaping project has created a welcoming, park-like atmosphere with green spaces, seating areas, and a small playground. The commissioned work by Pekka Jylhä is intended to further strengthen the area’s identity as Espoo’s central museum square and to highlight Ahertajantie’s growing role as an internationally relevant hub for museums and the arts. The choice of artist also underscores local ties, as Jylhä lives and works nearby at the Nallenpolku artist studios in Tapiola.

“This work complements the overall ensemble at the Exhibition Centre WeeGee and sparks curiosity about the museums. The beauty of public art lies in its accessibility – it brings art close to people. The Rope Dancer is both serious and playful, and each viewer can interpret it in their own way – that is art at its best,” says Susanna Tommila, Cultural Director of the City of Espoo.