10.4. – 3.5.2026

Aski Huudossa

A combination of two words with multiple meanings. The Finnish word ‘huuto’ refers to something familiar to all of us – an outcry, screaming, yelling or any raising of the voice to express anger, fear or excitement. It is full of emotion – just like the Edvard Munch painting we all know. But the word also carries other meanings, such as bidding, recruitment and the historical child auction practice (‘huutolaisuus’). Most significant, however, is the term’s link to popular culture: ‘olla huudossa’ means that something is in demand or popular. A perfect name for an art gallery – And an equally perfect point of contact for another art gallery. In this case, that other gallery is called Aski. This name too comes with its own range of meanings. For smokers, it is the familiar pack of twenty cigarettes. The link becomes clear in the area where Gallery Aski is located, in the sheltered courtyard of a former tobacco factory, where workers once puffed the results of their labor into the air. Once considered a sacred plant, tobacco – under today’s legislation – is no longer a profitable product in Finland.

But something remains – the buildings and the courtyard. They are now home to Turku’s newest source of pride, Art House Turku, including the studios of the Finnish Artists’ Studio Foundation. After realizing that the tobacco industry in Finland is now history, the twenty or so artists working in the studios also noted that the Finnish gallery scene seemed to be heading down the same path, going up in smoke. And since no one helps an artist but the artist themselves, Galleria Aski was born – the artists of the tobacco factory. Over the gallery’s two years of existence, the famous Klubi cigarette pack has made its comeback and is now on display at Huuto. The exhibition in Helsinki is part of a European exhibition exchange series. Exhibitions in Stockholm and Berlin are coming next, so we are very much in demand. And alive in Europe, not going up in smoke.

– Mikko Paakkola, Chair of Rettigin Kuvataiteilijat ry

Artists
Vesa Aaltonen, Annika Dahlsten, Lilli Haapala, Toni Hautamäki, Sini-Meri Hedberg, Kristina Isaksson, Lena Kuivisto, Riikka Kupsala, Minna Maija Lappalainen, Renja Leino, Lotta Leka, Jone Mutka, Erkki Nampajärvi, Tuuli Oikkonen, Mikko Paakkola, Reija Palo-oja, André Peterdi, Minna Poikonen, Jarkko Rantanen, Elina Ruohonen, Paula Suominen, Tiina Vainio and Jaana Valtari