A striking new sculpture by Pekka Jylhä rises outside EMMA, sending a message of hope and courage in uncertain times

Created for the sculpture park outside the Exhibition Centre WeeGee, Pekka Jylhä’s (b. 1955) The Rope Dancer (2025) reflects on the uncertainties of the future and the courage required when the world around us falters.

“We are living in uncertain times, and it seems that the future of humanity on a fragile planet is at stake. In the midst of turmoil, I have sought a form and a story for our time. The Rope Dancer depicts a fragile moment: a human being who tries, despite everything, to make it to the end,” the artist explains.

The vision takes shape in a human figure bravely balancing on a large hoop in the shape of a planet. Inspired by Jylhä’s own daughter, the figure is both grounded and reaching upward towards the sky. The bright colours of the clothing symbolise belief in a positive future. “How can we leave behind something better than before?” the artist asks.

Exploring human roles and inner worlds, The Rope Dancer also draws inspiration from a poem by the author and dramaturge Maria Peura, which is presented alongside the work: 

I made it all the way, 
I carried my own path
Now I am rewarded, 
within me winds arise, 
the world is torn in two
I stand firm

(Translation by Christina Saarinen)  

The Rope Dancer is the fifth artwork in EMMA’s sculpture park, which already features works by Eero Hiironen, Pertti Kukkonen, Matti Peltokangas and Raimo Utriainen. Jylhä’s new sculpture stands in the WeeGee courtyard near Leikki – The Museum of Play and the Finnish Museum of Horology and Jewellery Kruunu, welcoming visitors arriving at the museum hub on Ahertajantie. The commission further highlights the area’s significance as an important museum square in Espoo and as a continuously evolving international centre for museums and the arts. 

In addition to this new commission, EMMA’s collections include a dozen works by Jylhä, previously seen in the Saastamoinen Foundation Collection exhibition and as a public artwork at Kaitaa School. The Rope Dancer was realised in collaboration with EMMA, the City of Espoo and the Saastamoinen Foundation.