Unknowns

Helsinki Biennial 2027, curated by Mami Kataoka and Arja Miller, unfolds around the theme Unknowns, bringing together visionary artists from Finland and around the world to present ambitious artworks across Vallisaari Island, Esplanade Park, and HAM Helsinki Art Museum.

In a world defined by political turmoil, environmental upheaval, and deepening uncertainty, the fourth edition of Helsinki Biennial turns towards unknowns not with fear but with curiosity. Taking Unknowns as its curatorial framework, the biennial approaches what lies beyond comprehension through imagination and artistic inquiry. It dwells in the unresolved and the hidden, where uncertainty itself becomes a ground for wonder and for reimagining how we understand the world.

Taking place across Vallisaari Island, Esplanade Park, and HAM Helsinki Art Museum, Helsinki Biennial 2027 will present the work of approximately 45 artists and artist groups. The selected artists represent a range of practices and perspectives, engaging with uncertainty, imagination, and open-ended inquiry. Some of the works will be new commissions for Helsinki Biennial, contributing to its long-term legacy in the Finnish capital.

The first announced group of artists is: Ari Bayuaji (Indonesia/Canada), Tara Donovan (United States), Laurent Grasso (France), Marguerite Humeau (France/United Kingdom), Matias Karsikas (Finland), Britta Marakatt-Labba (Sápmi/Sweden), Ragnhild May (Denmark), Yoshitomo Nara (Japan), Josefina Nelimarkka (Finland), Tawatchai Puntusawasdi (Thailand), Anna Retulainen (Finland), and Jakob Kudsk Steensen (Denmark).

Further participants will be announced in the coming months.

Curatorial concept: engaging with the unknown

Curated by Mami Kataoka and Arja Miller, Helsinki Biennial 2027 approaches the unknown from perspectives including physical science, astronomy, geology, spirituality, mythology, and abstraction. In this context, imagination and curiosity become active ways of relating to the world. The biennial cultivates a space for wonder and shared reflection, where audiences are invited to imagine the structures of both visible and invisible worlds in their many dimensions, and to ask together what unknown futures they might hold.

"For Unknowns, we have invited artists who expand the limits of what we think we know, while making us conscious of how deeply we belong to one another, as fellow living beings. We share an irrepressible enthusiasm to encounter these as-yet-unknown works, and to see the biennial itself take shape. We place great hope in the joy and force art carries—its power to renew our energy to imagine the future," say curators Mami Kataoka and Arja Miller.

The full curatorial statement is available at helsinkibiennial.fi.

An international platform rooted in collaboration
Helsinki Biennial is an international visual arts event developed in close collaboration with the Finnish art field and an expanding network of global partners. The biennial supports the visibility of Finnish artists and institutions while bringing new perspectives to Helsinki.

Building on previous editions, Helsinki Biennial 2027 continues to develop its long-term legacy through commissioned artworks, partnerships, and responsible exhibition-making. 

Preview programme for professionals
Helsinki Biennial invites visual arts professionals to the Helsinki Biennial Preview Programme June 3–5, 2027. Read more at Professionals – Helsinki Biennial.

Media day
Helsinki Biennial Media Day will be arranged on June 2, 2027. More information is available at Media – Helsinki Biennial