Björk’s exhibition in Oulu opens on 13 November – tickets on sale 19 October

The exhibition brings together sound, moving images, music, visual art and technology across three audiovisual installations. It will be presented alongside Fotografiska Tallinn’s PLAY exhibition at Pekuri Shopping Centre in central Oulu.

Ancestress and Sorrowful Soil are works composed and arranged by Björk as tributes to her mother. The third work, Björk Orkestral, can be experienced in an immersive listening room created by Genelec.

The works were first exhibited at the National Gallery of Iceland in Reykjavík, where they were on display throughout summer 2026. In Oulu, the exhibition will run until the end of the year.

“Bringing Björk to Oulu has been a long-standing dream, as her art brings together many themes associated with the North. Presenting her work in an exhibition space created by Genelec is also a natural continuation of the dialogue between art, technology and sound,” says Henri Turunen, Programme Manager at Oulu2026.

Tickets on sale from 19 October

Björk’s exhibition will share the same venue as Fotografiska Tallinn’s PLAY exhibition, on the second floor of Pekuri Shopping Centre in central Oulu. One ticket gives access to both exhibitions.

Tickets must be booked for a specific entry time, and will also be available at the door. Visitors are admitted every 30 minutes. Tickets and entry times can be booked from 10 am on 19 October through Lippu.fi and at the Oulu2026 Info & Shop in Pekuri during its opening hours. Admission is free for visitors under 18 when accompanied by an adult.

There’s still time to experience Fotografiska Tallinn’s PLAY exhibition

Fotografiska Tallinn’s PLAY exhibition explores how play can inspire creativity and new ways of thinking. The exhibition has been part of the Oulu2026 cultural programme since January and is open until 1 November. It will be closed from 2 to 12 November while the venue is being prepared for Björk’s exhibition.

The group exhibition features more than 200 photographic prints and video artworks. PLAY explores play both as a source of joy and as a disruptive force, highlighting moments of delight, resilience, rebellion and connection. Together, the works of 16 artists form a visual journey into play as a deeply human form of expression and a wordless language.

The exhibition features works by prominent figures in photography, dating from the 1950s to the present day and spanning different stages of their careers. These include the late photography legend Martin Parr, and The Last Resort (1983–1985); Jouko Lehtola and Nuoret sankarit (1996); Cristina de Middel and The Afronauts (2012); and Christopher Herwig and Soviet Bus Stops (2002–2015).

The other artists featured in the exhibition are Susan Meiselas, Bruce Davidson, Roger Ballen, Nina Katchadourian, Sage Sohier, Trent Parke, Karolina Wojtas, Niccolò Rastrelli, Joosep Kivimäe, Mathias Väärsi, Pelle Cass and Deanna Dikeman. The exhibition’s soundscape, which guides visitors through its different moods, was created by Erki Pärnoja.

The exhibition spaces at Kauppakortteli Pekuri were designed and created for Oulu2026 by PAVE Arkkitehdit, Genelec, Saas Instruments and IP Heikkilä.