1.–30.9.2023
Open: Tue–Fri 13–18, Sat–Sun 12–17

Artists’ Island 2023 is a group exhibition of 28 artists on Harakka Island in September 2023.The artists of the exhibition work at the Harakka Artists’ House and the exhibition is curated by Anna Jensen and Eliisa Suvanto. The exhibition is a follow-up to the acclaimed Artists’ Island exhibition curated by Veikko Halmetoja in 2021.

Harakka Island, off Kaivopuisto Park in Helsinki, is an island of artists, but it is also an island of and for birds, nature reserves, Helsinki residents and, above all, an island of the sea. The sea is everywhere, permeating the activities on the island, from coming there to working there. Weather conditions and water levels form a tangible break between the island and the mainland. The island is a place, but it is also time, distance, duration, atmosphere, a vanishing point of extremes,
an intersection of permanence and change, and the subject of policy-making. These concepts form the thematic starting point for the group exhibition, which is built on the terms of nature and the environment, in interaction with the artists and the island, using the existing and building on the past.

“When we visited the previous Artists’ Island exhibition in 2021, we immediately felt a strong attraction to the place and hoped to curate the exhibition ourselves one day. Now this dream is coming true and we are extremely happy about it. “ , say curators Anna Jensen and Eliisa Suvanto.

Some of the artists in the exhibition have been working on the island for decades, while the newest arrival came in Harakka this year. Community, diversity of audiences and artists, and sharing of resources are concepts that emerge in contemporary art. In Artists’ Island, these premises are present in a fundamental and year-round way. Shared time and shared experiences take on a new meaning in a place where the seasonal cycle rhythms our being and working.

The conversations with the artists at the Harakka Artists’ House echo the cyclical nature of time. This is also reflected in the works and their materials, many of which were found on the island or washed up on the shore. The artists, the sea, the island and its inhabitants live side by side. The exhibition opens up and makes visible existing connections, partnerships and ways of working.

Artists’ Island 2023 artists: Sirkku Ala-Harja, Annette Arlander, Pira Cousin, Lotta Djupsund, Aino Favén, Noora Geagea, Kalle Haapala, Siiri Haarla, Iiris Hälli, Olof Kangas, Liisa Kallio, Osmo Kivimäki, Kastehelmi Korpijaakko, Anni Leppälä, Pekka Luhta, Marika Maijala, Päivi Maunu, Soili Mustapää, Heikki Mäntymaa, Tuula Närhinen, Tuomo Raunio, Harriina Räinä, Kaisa Salmi, Johanna Suonpää, Petra Vehviläinen, Virpi Vesanen-Laukkanen, Kari Yli-Annala,
Aoi Yoshizawa

Curators: Since 2013, Anna Jensen and Eliisa Suvanto have been pioneering collective, site-specific and non-institutional contemporary art. The curator duo has created several platforms, such as Porin Kulttuurisäätö, known for its site-specific exhibitions, and Space Invaders, which takes over underused spaces where projects in changing contexts bring together art, research and activism. The activities have sought to update and deconstruct existing structures and create working con- ditions and performance spaces for diverse and experimental art that support the work of artists.

Harakka Artists’ House: The main building on Harakka Island, a military chemistry laboratory built in 1929, has been used as an artists› studio facility since 1989. The Artists’ House is maintained by the City of Helsinki. The Artists’ House is a historical building with 30 studios where professionals from different artistic disciplines work: visual artists, illustrators, pho- tographers, moving image artists, performance artists, designers, cartoonists, jewellery, textile and environmental artists.

Island and accessibility: Harakka Island is located in front of Kaivopuisto in Helsinki, between Särkkä and Uunisaari. The island can be reached by a boat from Ullanlinna pier, next to Cafe Ursula. The return ticket costs 7,50€, there is no entrance fee to the exhibition. Dogs are not allowed on Harakka Island and visitors must follow the marked paths on the island. The Harakka Island boat, the Artists’ House and other indoor areas are not wheelchair accessible. The nature trail is used in off- road conditions.