The third edition of the Helsinki Biennial becomes a dialogue between public art and nature, imagining new forms of ecological coexistence.
In recent years, biennials have multiplied across the globe, evolving from exclusive gatherings into cultural platforms with worldwide reach. But how do they truly impact the local communities that host them?
The third edition of the Helsinki Biennial, running from June 6 to September 21, 2025, aims to offer a compelling answer. Under the evocative theme “Shelter: Below and beyond, becoming and belonging,” the event seeks to reframe our relationship with the non-human world, transforming public art into a space for collective reflection and environmental awareness.
A City-Wide Artistic Endeavor
More than just an art exhibition, the Biennial is a project that embraces the entire city of Helsinki, supporting its vision as a vibrant, sustainable creative hub. Vallisaari Island, the central exhibition site, will host works by 25 artists, while 15 additional installations will be featured at the HAM Helsinki Art Museum.
Public art will also animate central city areas like Esplanade Park, where Giuseppe Penone’s iconic “Light and Shadow” (2014) will be on display.
Helsinki Biennial Institutional Support and Accessibility
With a budget of €6.5 million, the Biennial benefits from the support of the City of Helsinki, the HAM Museum, and major Finnish foundations. Among its key backers is the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation, which allocated €900,000 for the 2025–2027 period.
One of the highlights is a sound installation by Hans Rosenström, inspired by Vallisaari’s natural environment and activated by visitor movement.
In keeping with its commitment to inclusivity, the city has lowered ferry and museum ticket prices to ensure broader public access.
Artists and Voices of the 2025 Edition
Curators Blanca de la Torre and Kati Kivinen have selected 37 artists from 30 countries, with a strong presence from the Nordic regions, Latin America, and Asia.
Thirteen new commissions include immersive installations, sound sculptures, and ceramic works celebrating traditional crafts. Notable contributors include Olafur Eliasson, Yayoi Kusama, Ernesto Neto, and Ana Teresa Barboza, whose site-specific installation draws on bark traditions from both the Amazon and Northern Europe to reflect on cultural interconnection.
Tania Candiani’s “Subterra” explores underground ecological networks through sound compositions, video, and live root systems suspended in glass vessels—offering a glimpse into the invisible life beneath the forest floor.
Helsinki Biennial Installations Beyond the Island
At the HAM Museum, Maria Thereza Alves presents a series of watercolors and sculptural shelters depicting native insects, amphibians, and other non-human beings, encouraging visitors to consider coexistence within an inclusive ecological community.
The artist duo Nomeda & Gediminas Urbonas returns with “Futurity Island,” created in collaboration with architect Indrė Umbrasaitė. Made from peatland drainage pipes, the installation allows visitors to hear otherwise inaudible natural sounds, such as insect frequencies and larval activity.
The Band of Weeds collective amplifies the electrical signals of plants into sound, challenging the concept of “plant blindness” and asserting vegetal life as more than passive background. Meanwhile, nabbteeri offers a meditation on decay, using fallen branches and dead winter flora collected on the island.
Olafur Eliasson’s Lasting Legacy
The Helsinki Biennial is also committed to leaving a lasting mark on the city. Each edition aims to contribute permanent works of public art, while adhering to sustainable practices.
In 2025, this vision materializes through “Long Daylight Pavilion” by Olafur Eliasson—a new installation commissioned by the City of Helsinki and curated by HAM.
Located in Kruunuvuorenranta, a former oil harbor now transformed into a residential district, the pavilion features 24 steel poles embedded into bedrock, forming a circular structure aligned with the sun’s path on the summer solstice.
The shortest pole marks the sun’s lowest point, while the tallest aligns with its zenith, turning the artwork into a solar compass and a space for environmental orientation.
The work is part of Helsinki’s Percent for Art policy, which allocates a portion of public building budgets to art, further integrating creativity into the fabric of everyday life.