An updated display of the Dialogues exhibition opens

A new selection from the Saastamoinen Foundation’s art collection will be presented at EMMA. The Dialogues collection exhibition, exploring themes of exchange and interaction, is expanding with more than 30 works, including pieces by artists now shown in Finland for the first time. Spanning from the 1960s to the present day, the new display opens on 14 November 2024 and features works by artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Nan Goldin, Sinikka Kurkinen, and Dayanita Singh.

The Dialogues exhibition regularly showcases selections from the Saastamoinen Foundation’s collection at EMMA, with frequently updated displays. This concept of dialogue is explored through both the visual language of artworks and their evocative themes. In this latest instalment, the focus is on pieces reflecting human encounters and complex relationships from diverse perspectives. Dialogues between the pieces also emerge through an interplay of form, colour, and material.

Monira Al Qadiri, BENZENE FLOAT (Propane), 2023; Louise Bourgeois, From the portfolio Topiary: The Art of Improving Nature, 1988. © Paula Virta / EMMA

The new display has been curated by the Saastamoinen Foundation Art Committee’s expert members Päivi Karttunen, Jani Ruscica, and Anna Tuori, in collaboration with EMMA’s curators Laura Eweis and Tero Hytönen. The selection seeks to highlight the diversity of one of Finland’s most significant art collections. Visitors are invited to consider the artworks in conversation with one another, encouraging various reflections between them. The exhibition also lays the foundation for an ongoing, evolving dialogue among the pieces.

Dialogues: Collection Exhibition of the Saastamoinen Foundation Art Collection © Paula Virta / EMMA

The Dialogues exhibition has been updated with works by Monira Al Qadiri, Ruth Asawa, Louise Bourgeois, Torsten Andersson, Lin Da, Ida Ekblad, Nan Goldin, Heidi Hahn, Samia Halaby, Barbara Kasten, Jonna Kina, Harriet Korman, Sinikka Kurkinen, Paulina Ołowska, Laura Owens, Pauno Pohjolainen, Aura Saarikoski, Dayanita Singh, Martine Syms, Eeva Tiisala, and Kaari Upson. Additionally, works by Camille Henrot and Marja Viitahuhta complement this expanded second display.

The Saastamoinen Foundation Art Collection was deposited with EMMA upon the museum’s founding. Comprising nearly 3,000 pieces, it is one of the most important collections of Finnish and international art in Finland and is continuously expanded with new acquisitions. Owned by the Saastamoinen Foundation, EMMA serves as the collection’s primary exhibition venue. Dialogues, a new exhibition concept for the collection, was inaugurated with its first edition in November 2023. Each display is based on dialogues between artworks and is curated mainly from the foundation’s recent acquisitions.