6.2.—1.3.2026, Hippolyte Studio

The exhibition Poverty Saves centres on a film of the same title by filmmaker and media artist Juhani Koivumäki. In the making of the work, Juhani Koivumäki followed the activities of Pentti-Otto Koskinen over a period of four years between 2021-2025. The material was recorded in the cities of Helsinki, Tampere, Vilnius, Istanbul, and Konya.

Within the context of spiritual mysticism, poverty refers to an existential ideal in which one becomes free from constraining points of attachment related to all visible and material things. Koskinen has drawn influences for his concept of poverty from Christian mystics such as Marguerite Porete (1250-1310) and Meister Eckhart (1260-1328). In contrast, poverty is generally associated with negative connotations that clash with Koskinen’s message—especially in today’s context, when numerous groups are fighting against economic cutbacks.

On a personal level, poverty can be experienced as a plague-like stigma by which people evaluate one another. Poverty can also be seen as an ecological ideal used to resist consumption-centred culture. Koivumäki found it valuable to foreground the conceptual framework created by Koskinen, in which a spiritual and existential understanding of poverty collides with the economic notion of poverty as a measure of human worth.

Pentti-Otto Koskinen’s (b. 1952, Helsinki) artistic activity began in the early 1980s with large-scale sculptures and small drawings. His works have been shown in Finland’s most important art museums and galleries. In the early 1990s, he gave away his works for free and continued as a performance artist. During the 1990s he taught drawing and performance art at the Academy of Fine Arts and in other schools.

Juhani Koivumäki (b. 1981, Hämeenlinna) has worked as a filmmaker and media artist since the early 2000s. His work has been shown in exhibitions across Finland, as well as in cities such as Berlin, Canberra, and Sydney. Koivumäki’s films have been screened at film festivals across Europe. In addition to a Master of Fine Arts degree, Koivumäki holds a Master of Theology from the University of Helsinki and a Master’s degree in Buddhist Studies from the University of Hong Kong. He is currently pursuing a PhD in the philosophy of religion on Marguerite Porete’s concept of the soul at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Helsinki.