Opening on Saturday, September 6th, at 17–19
7.9.–2.11.2025

In Kristin Wiking’s Wrestlers we witness an encounter between two opponents. At the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games, the Töölö Sports Hall – then still called the Exhibition Hall – hosted the wrestling events. Wrestling is considered one of the world’s oldest sports, as it requires only two bodies testing their strength and skill against each other, without tools or weapons.

In Wiking’s work, two inflatable puppets meet and test their light bodies against each other. When the automated fans switch on, the characters come to life, seemingly moving on their own – gaining strength only to soon lose it again. The match continues endlessly; with no one to end the game, neither wrestler ever claims victory, always on the verge of bursting.

It may be tempting to use ordinary scissors, but tools are not permitted in wrestling, nor have they ever been. So they remain set aside.

Kristin Wiking is a Swedish artist based in Helsinki and Vilnius. She works with a range of media, including kinetic sculpture, installation, and video, often driven by an absurd logic.