The concept of the exhibition featuring Saastamoinen Foundation’s Art Collection at EMMA is being renewed. The exhibition will be renewed section by section, the first of which opened to the public in November 2023. The new Dialogues exhibition is based on curatorial juxtapositions that showcase the foundation’s recent acquisitions. The previously opened sections, Listening to Silence and Human and Nature, are still on display.

The exhibition also includes a media space equipped with EMMA’s state-of-the-art technology, displaying Saastamoinen Foundation’s new media art acquisitions. Artist Jani Ruscica has curated an ensemble of three media works, first of which will be seen as a part of the Dialogues exhibition and the other two in the exhibitions media space during the year 2024.

Rashaad Newsome: Untitled (New Way) 24.11.2023–23.11.2025

Loretta Fahrenholz: Mashes of the Afternoon 31.1.2024–28.7.2024

Klara Lidén: The Myth of Progress (Moonwalk) 14.8.2024–12.1.2025

Dialogues introduces a new concept in the presentation of the Saastamoinen Foundation Art Collection. The exhibition features pairs or groups of works that engage in free dialogue with one another, encouraging visitors to compare and draw parallels between them. The exhibition is an invitation to engage in dialogue or conversation, that will hopefully foster myriad interpretations. The curation is a joint effort between art experts from EMMA and Saastamoinen Foundation, and the display will be reconfigured section by section with new groups of works. 

The artists featured in the first renewed section are Henni Alftan, Rasheed Araeen, Jesse Darling, A K Dolven, Giorgio Griffa, Åsa Hellman, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Roni Horn, Emma Jääskeläinen, Lucy McKenzie, Olli Keränen, Christine Sun Kim, Lee Lozano, Leena Luostarinen, Sandra Mujinga, Rashaad Newsome, Berenice Olmedo, Sini Pelkki, Silja Rantanen, Maja Ruznic, Kain Tapper, Rose Wylie and Haegue Yang.

How does one listen to silence? Searching for silence is a part of being human. It can mean having a connection with the world inside or dialogue with yourself. We can also be silent together. Silence can be tormenting or soothing. Silence can be about saying nothing, keeping secrets or injustices inside. Happiness can be found in a silent meditative state, repetition or routines.

This part of the Touch exhibition has been built around Juhani Linnovaara’s (b. 1934) painting Listening to Silence. Bringing together older and newer works of the exhibition highlights parts of humanity that are present throughout time. The painting is accompanied by works exploring the inner world of humans – past events, traumas and their aftermath, along with the joy of play. In silence, you can hear something new growing.

The section displays artworks with nature present in different ways. Humans are a part of nature and the animal kingdom, but the balance between us is often lost. It is said that human is the cruellest beast of all. For us, nature can be a source of income, an obstacle to be cleared, a scientific challenge, a place to relax or a riddle.

The relationship between natural and unnatural has become blurred during our time. It is hard to find a natural state with no marks by humans. Many artists, such as Latifa Echakhch, Jani Ruscica and Roland Persson, approach this complex relationship between human and nature.

The book published in November 2023 showcases Saastamoinen Foundation’s recent acquisitions. The focus is on artists with stirring career who continue to impress with their art, such as Vivian E. Browne, Lee Lozano, and Leena Luostarinen, as well as artists on the verge of making a strong entry or currently making a breakthrough, for example Emma Jääskeläinen, Berenice Olmedo, Aura Saarikoski, and Thảo Nguyên Phan.

Available at EMMA Shop’s store and webshop!

Writers: Ali Akbar Mehta, Camille Auer, Nimco Kulmiye Hussein, Saara Karhunen, Anders Kreuger, Emma Lilja, Aleksandra Oilinki, Vidha Saumya, Seiskan pojat, Sanna Tirkkonen

Graphic design: Tom Backström

Photographs: Ari Karttunen & Paula Virta / EMMA