Dive into the Helsinki Biennial!

How should one approach the ongoing Helsinki Biennial? By immersing oneself in the experience or by leading with knowledge? There is no single “right” way to encounter art. Many works reveal themselves only once you know something about them — sometimes quite a lot: about the artist, the subject, or the work’s relationship to the broader concepts of art. Marcel Duchamp’s readymades, for example, can be difficult to perceive as art without this context. Experiencing art through knowledge, however, is ultimately experiencing it through someone else’s lens — be it that of a researcher, critic, or the artist themselves. Immersing yourself in art, on the other hand, is always deeply personal.

This year’s Helsinki Biennial offers an excellent opportunity to try both approaches: first, immerse yourself in the experience — then explore the background and the artists’ ideas. And specifically in that order, whether the works are located at Tennispalatsi, in Esplanade Park, or on Vallisaari Island.

The environment shapes the way artworks are experienced. At the HAM museum, the works are unmistakably presented as art — displayed with intentional lighting and soundscapes, set apart from the outside world. In a museum, even the quietest sounds are heard. The video work by Sámi artists Jenni Laiti and Carl-Johan Utsi offers a rare opportunity to focus on the meditative movement of reindeer herds in a way that might not be possible in other exhibition settings.

The works in Esplanadi Park, by contrast, are embedded in the flow of lively city life. They demonstrate art’s ability to exist within the everyday, offering new perspectives on the familiar. Katie Holten’s flags are not merely bursts of visual cheer but carry messages, while Giuseppe Penone’s bronze tree extends the park’s natural tree line with a statement uniquely its own.

Vallisaari is the most captivating of the settings. The Biennial’s works must, in some way, respond to it — emerging organically from the landscape, appearing as surprising discoveries deep in the forest, or revealing their secrets from within hidden buildings. They do not simply exist; they direct our gaze toward something beyond themselves. Some even proclaim their messages loudly, such as Tania Candiani’s root structures or Band of Weeds’ sound piece. And all the while, they are surrounded by the familiar comfort of the Finnish summer landscape. The contrast is striking.

Just as intended. This year’s Biennial aims to make viewers aware of the life that exists alongside and beyond the human world — abundant and diverse. The Biennial’s theme, “Shelter,” provides a space for all this varied life to be noticed and valued. Experiential engagement is a core part of Helsinki Biennial; the works are particularly powerful in relation to their surroundings and through the act of experiencing them. Through the emotions they evoke, it becomes easier to perceive diversity and difference as a natural part of Vallisaari’s rich environment, compared with a regulated urban setting. On the island, experiences feel spontaneous and personal, and that is what gives them their significance.

But of course, the placement of the works and the paths for visitors on Vallisaari are carefully planned. There are technical requirements, safety regulations, and the need to provide services for exhibition guests. A thoughtfully designed visitor experience creates the conditions for personal engagement—these two aspects do not exclude each other. After all, it is impossible to fully design the visitor themselves.

The Helsinki Biennial is open for an extended period, from early June to the end of September. During that time, Vallisaari’s natural environment evolves. Simultaneously, many of the artworks change—some in response to their surroundings, others through their own processes. The experience transforms, just as nature does.

Let’s return to the intellectual engagement with art. While I have encouraged immersing yourself in the Helsinki Biennial, experiencing the works purely as sensations leaves much untapped. The Biennial is not an amusement park for art lovers — it carries weighty messages. Hopefully, as many people as possible will take the time to listen!

Photo: Band of Weeds: Puiden itku, (The Cry of the Trees), 2021–23. Helsinki Biennial, 8 June–21 September 2025, Vallisaari. Photo: HAM / Helsinki Biennial / Sonja Hyytiäinen