Antti Laitinen (b. 1975) builds a forest for EMMA. The exhibition explores the human-nature relationship and passage of time applying absurdist humor, typical of Laitinen’s work. With woody debris collected from all over Finland, the artist brings coarse organic material into dialogue with the white-painted, even clinical, exhibition space.

Nordic nature and especially the forest are central themes in the work of Antti Laitinen, who lives and works in Somero, Southern Finland. Physical activities such as collecting trees, shaping forests and sailing on a bark boat are an essential part of Laitinen’s art. For him, the process is often as important as the end result. The forest installation in EMMA’s exhibition space is commissioned as part of the InCollection exhibition series co-produced by the museum and Saastamoinen Foundation.

Antti Laitinen is known for works and installations that combine photography, video and performance art. His international career includes exhibitions in the Nordic countries, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the United States and China. In 2013, he represented Finland at the 55th Venice Biennale.

Each year, InCollection commissions a new work by a visionary contemporary artist for Saastamoinen Foundation Art Collection, and offers the artist an opportunity to create an exhibition especially for EMMA. Antti Laitinen is the eighth artist in the InCollection series.