Art by Keiken collective, originally exhibited at the Helsinki Biennial, finds a permanent home in Kalasatama

HAM has been tasked with maximising the presence of art in Helsinki, and the biennial is a key avenue for integrating contemporary international art into the urban environment. Works from Helsinki Biennial 2021 by Alicja Kwade have already found their homes in Kalasatama.  

Ángel Yōkai Atā by Keiken fascinated audiences at Helsinki Biennial 2023 and will be unveiled at an event open to all in the southern part of Kalasatamanpuisto Park on Friday 12 September, at 13:00–14:00. The piece will be unveiled by Deputy Mayor for Culture and Leisure Paavo Arhinmäki, with Artist Hana Omori of Keiken also in attendance. 

An angel spirit house that offers a portal into an alternate reality

The angel spirit house is a temple-like structure protecting a soft soundscape within. Fragile, 3D-printed beings are visible in the windows, reminiscent of spirits, game avatars or temple offerings. According to the artists, the piece serves as a portal, or sort of entrance, into an alternate reality, a world of imagined angels and spirits.

The piece Ángel Yōkai Atā was inspired by spiritual places such as Thai roadside temples and home altars, as well as the opportunity the internet offers to craft a brand-new identity. The name of the piece combines Spanish, English, Japanese and Téenek – the language of the native Huastec people of Mexico: ángel/angel in English/Spanish; the Japanese word yōkai, meaning spirit; and the Téenek word atā, meaning house.  

Keiken encourage the public to visit the piece with an open mind and simply be, listen to their body, and, if they wish, repeat the following mantra: A spirit is not just a spiritual thing, it is everything and to be a student of the invisible is the practice of compassion. Omoiyari. 

The artist collective Keiken was founded in 2015 by Tanya Cruz, Hana Omori and Isabel Ramos and is based in London and Berlin. The name Keiken means ‘experience’ in Japanese, and the collective creates imaginary worlds using film, games, installations, extended reality (XR), block chain technology and performances. Using various means of expression, the collective explores the nature of consciousness and how societal introjection governs how we feel, think and perceive.

Ángel Yōkai Atā was commissioned jointly by the Helsinki Biennial and KANAL – Centre Pompidou and realised for the biennial with support from the Saastamoinen Foundation. Helsinki Biennial 2023 was curated by Lead Curator Joasia Krysa.

Kalasatama is home to all kinds of art

Pieces of art are procured permanently for Helsinki thanks to the ‘Percent for Art Principle’ adopted by the City of Helsinki, and this has also been true in the redevelopment of the Kalasatama area. As part of the Kalasatama Environmental Art Project, permanent and temporary pieces of art and events are being brought to the area in collaboration between the Helsinki City Executive Office, Helsinki’s Urban Environment Division and Culture and Leisure Division, and HAM. The Environmental Art Project is funded by a floor-square-metre-based fee collected from developers operating in the area. HAM serves as the curator of public art works for pieces that form part of Helsinki’s art collection.

Helsinki Biennial 2025 also set to leave its mark permanently on the city

At a later date, the piece From the Dark into the Great Blue Yonder by Gunzi Holmström from Helsinki Biennial 2025 is set to be placed in its new home in Kalasatama. Sara Bjarland’s piece Stranding has also been selected to be displayed permanently in Helsinki. More information about the location of the pieces will be provided at a later date.