Light art takes over the Roundhouse

LIGHT ART TAKES OVER THE ROUNDHOUSE

As the season is growing darker, the Roundhouse is diving into the exhilarating world of light art. The Salo Art Museum’s first exhibition centred on light art invites you to wonder and be charmed by the possibilities created by light as you stand next to the works created using a variety of techniques. Visit valo exhibits the diversity of Finnish light art and light as an art material and medium.

Light is the prerequisite for all life: it provides rhythm in our days and assists in conveying emotions and messages. As a material and technique for artistic expression, light has decades of tradition in Finland. With lighting technology being more readily available and the development of LED lights, interest in creating and showcasing light art has increased on a whole new scale.

The exhibition Visit valo (Visit the Light) displays a wide scale of Finnish light art as works from current artists and as memories from days gone by in the form of loans from other collections. Consisting of the works of a total of 11 artists and groups, the exhibition showcases a diversity of methods for light to provide a means of expression for the visual arts. The works of pioneers in light art, such as Eino Ruutsalo, Maija Lavonen and Helena Hietanen, contribute a temporal perspective to the whole.

The light in the exhibition is not confined to the museum halls alone, as the works are spread out also in other indoor and outdoor spaces of the Roundhouse. Light artist Jere Suontausta’s Mirror Owl II greets museum visitors directly at the main entrance, and you can immerse yourself in the video installation of the artist group Anna Alanko and Antton Nuotio in the art museum’s café. Artist Janne Parviainen’s light paintings take over the museum’s row of windows, light box signs around the city and the old van that has appeared in the museum’s courtyard.

The exhibition has been curated by Mia Nieminen, Museum Curator at Salo Art Museum. The Finnish Heritage Agency have provided support for the exhibition.

The exhibition will display works from the following artists:

Anna Alanko & Antton Nuotio, Petri Eskelinen, Helena Hietanen, Matti Kalkamo, Maija Lavonen, Pauliina Mäkelä, Janne Parviainen, Taneli Rautiainen, Eino Ruutsalo, Jere Suontausta and Kirsti Taiviola.

The exhibition’s public opening event will be organised on Friday, 2 October 2026 from 3 to 9 pm. During the event, the museum has free admission. At the same time, an exhibition by designer and artist Sauli Suomela, titled LAYERS / KERROKSET, opens at Gallery Sidetrack. In addition to the exhibition halls, the museum courtyard provides space for programme and the Metka café kiosk maintained by the youth services of the City of Salo, open from 3 to 8 pm. Additional information on the opening event is available at www.salontaidemuseo.fi/ajankohtaista/.

Additional information and requests for interviews:
Mia Nieminen, Curator, Salo Art Museum
044 778 4903
mia.nieminen@salo.fi  

Photo inquiries:
Päivi Rücker, Museum Assistant, Salo Art Museum
050 478 2022
paivi.rucker@salo.fi

Press photos: www.salontaidemuseo.fi/media
The exhibition on the museums website at www.salontaidemuseo.fi/visit-valo/