Helsinki Biennial 2025 has revealed its artist roster, featuring 37 international artists and collectives set to exhibit in diverse locations across the city.
Curated by Blanca de la Torre and Kati Kivinen, this third edition of the Helsinki Biennial, titled 'Shelter: Below and Beyond, Becoming and Belonging', will also, however, centre on non-human protagonists.
Among the list of participants are big names such as Olafur Eliasson, known for his innovative explorations of nature and perception, along with Maria Thereza Alves and Yayoi Kusama.
Highlights will include new commissions such as Pia Sirén’s 'Under Cover' (2025) on Vallisaari Island – an installation that uses synthetic recycled materials to create a fictional landscape, blurring the line between the urban and the natural. Also on the island, Sara Bjarland’s 'Stranding' (2025), a playful yet poignant bronze sculpture inspired by inflatable swimming toys, will highlight the growing issue of plastic waste. Ernesto Neto’s 'Vallisaari Bird' (2025) meanwhile encourages visitors to pause and see through the eyes of a bird.
On the mainland, those visiting Esplanade Park (a first-time Helsinki Biennial venue), will take in Kalle Hamm and Dzamil Kamanger’s 'Bug Rugs' (2025) sculptures, which draw inspiration from traditional Finnish and Kurdish rug designs to blend cultural and environmental storytelling. Close by, Geraldine Javier will present a new version of 'Earth, Water, Air, Fire, Void' (2025), a community-driven installation featuring tree-protecting talismans, plants, and recycled materials developed through workshops with local schoolchildren and residents.
“As curators deeply concerned with the current ecological emergency, we are continually researching and exploring strategies to engage with contemporary art as a tool for addressing the climate and ecological crisis. The Helsinki Biennial is the outcome of this work, and we are so proud to share the full list of artists from across the world whose work engages so thoughtfully with these important themes,” the curators said when announcing the participating artists.
The 2025 biennial will have a focus on artists from across the broader Nordic region, Latin America, and Asia, with a particular aim to include the perspectives of Indigenous representatives. Among the Sámi artists participating, for example, Carola Grahn’s 'Notes on Hide: Panorama Series' (2025) will explore human estrangement from nature, using textile works to comment on colonialism and environmental destruction.
“[T]he stories and worldviews of Indigenous representatives, including their animist knowledge, come to the fore, offering understanding that fosters a more sustainable and holistic relationship with the environment and all its inhabitants,” de la Torre and Kati Kivinen said in a statement.
But, it’s not all about the human artists.
Slated to open on 8 June, the Biennial draws inspiration from Vallisaari's relatively untouched ecosystem, inviting artists to explore "shelter" as a nurturing space – psychological, social, or ecological – where all forms of life, human and non-human, can thrive. Works will foreground non-human actors like plants, animals, and minerals, shifting the focus away from human perspectives to inspire a deeper, more sustainable relationship with the environment.
Discover the full list of participating artists here.
