Antti Tolvi’s new work is an immersive sensory experience

For Organ and Pause is both an installation and long-duration performance that begins when the exhibition opens and concludes when it closes. Visitors experience the work by lying down on a bed and listening to sound that plays continuously in the space. The sound is produced by an angelica archangelica organ, while the beds transmit low-frequency vibrations that can be felt in the body.

Because the work unfolds over the entire exhibition period, it cannot be experienced from beginning to end. Instead, visitors are invited to pause and experience a specific, unique moment within its ongoing duration. Tolvi has a particular interest in extended-duration performances that stretch and challenge our perception of time.

“The work is like a giant organ that you can enter. It weaves together sound, light, and low-frequency vibrations into a holistic experience that can be heard, seen, and felt in the body. Visitors are welcome to enter the space and either sit or lie down. The work is a musical composition that keeps evolving throughout the duration of the exhibition. It exists in a state of slumber, if you will, and comes to life during live performances,” Antti Tolvi explains.

Performances at HAM

The continuous sound will fade out six times during the exhibition. During these pauses, Tolvi will stage live light and sound performances together with other musicians, including solo performances by Tolvi as well as trio and quartet performances featuring flute and clarinet.

• Fri, Sept 25 at 11.00 am — Solo: Antti Tolvi

• Sat, Oct 10 at 3.00 pm — Trio: Jaakko Arola (flute), Jaakko Kuikka (flute) and Antti Tolvi (flute)

• Sat, Oct 31 at 3.00 pm — Trio: Lucy Abrams-Husso (clarinet), Jaakko Kuikka (flute) and Antti Tolvi (flute)

• Sat, Nov 14 at 3.00 pm — Quartet: Lucy Abrams-Husso (clarinet), Jaakko Arola (clarinet), Jaakko Kuikka (flute) and Antti Tolvi (flute)

• Sat, Nov 28 at 3.00 pm — Trio: Lucy Abrams-Husso (clarinet), Jaakko Arola (flute) and Antti Tolvi (flute)

• Sat, Dec 12 at 3.00 pm — Trio: Jaakko Arola (flute), Livia Schweizer (flute) and Antti Tolvi (flute)

• Sun, Jan 10 at 6.00 pm — Solo: Antti Tolvi

Antti Tolvi (b. 1977) is a sound artist and performer with a background in experimental music. His artistic practice is primarily rooted in music and sound. Alongside sound, he composes visual and kinetic elements, including light and vibration. His works engage multiple senses, creating a holistic bodily experience.

HAM’s Space for New Art provides a platform for new exhibition concepts

HAM Helsinki Art Museum’s Space for New Art is a new venue dedicated to presenting diverse emerging practices and innovative exhibition concepts. Each year, three artists or artist groups are selected through an open call to exhibit in the space. The programme highlights changing themes, new content, and innovative approaches to engaging HAM’s audiences.

The first open call was held in spring 2025, with three exhibition projects selected for the inaugural season: KOKIMO’s Tablescape, Antti Tolvi’s For Organ and Pause, and MSL (Antti Jussila and Jade Kallio).

“Antti Tolvi’s exhibition is of particular interest because it fills the space with a work grounded in practices beyond the conventional boundaries of traditional visual art. In Tolvi’s practice, the primary focus is not on the visual form of the work, but on the experience it evokes, particularly through the senses of touch and hearing. The extended presentation has a somewhat dizzying quality: it challenges our notions of time and makes us feel its passage in an unusual way,” reflects the exhibition’s curator, Milja Liimatainen.

An open call for the second exhibition season was held in spring 2026. The selected artists or artist groups will be announced later in 2026.

Antti Tolvi: For Organ and Pause – 25.9.2026–10.1.2027 – HAM Helsinki Art Museum