The Other Side of the Mountain—Notes from African and Afro-Nordic Perspectives

Amos Rex’s autumn exhibition The Other Side of the Mountain—Notes from African and Afro-Nordic Perspectives, presents eleven contemporary artists working on the African continent and within the Afro-Nordic diaspora. With The Other Side of the Mountain, the museum continues its commitment to showcasing international contemporary art and fostering dialogue between Nordic and global perspectives.

Among the artists are Ghanaian Ibrahim Mahama, who in 2023 became the first artist from the African continent to top ArtReview’s Power 100, the annual ranking of the most influential figures in international contemporary art; Norwegian-Congolese artist Sandra Mujinga, who presented her solo exhibition Skin to Skin at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam in 2025; and South African artist Igshaan Adams, whose work has been exhibited internationally at several major museums and biennials. 

The exhibition features five artists working in the Nordic region, two of whom are based in Finland. For most of the participating artists, this is their first time exhibiting in Finland. 

The artists explore how the structures of both city and landscape affect connections between people, by separating them or bringing them closer together. Through artistic perspectives from Africa and the Afro-Nordic diaspora, the exhibition addresses themes of memory, migration, identity, and movement. The urban landscape emerges as a central point of departure, as a place where personal experiences and wider social changes converge. 

The artists in the exhibition are: Igshaan Adams, Akinbode Akinbiyi, Loulou Cherinet, Adji Dieye, Jeannette Ehlers, Lungiswa Gqunta, Liisa-Irmelen Liwata, Ibrahim Mahama, Sandra Mujinga, Karl Ohiri and Emeka Ogboh. 

Amos Rex aims to position the Nordic region as a place for dynamic thinking about art, institutions, and engagement with audiences. Through The Other Side of the Mountain, the museum continues its work of presenting artistic practices that shape international contemporary art and creating encounters between Nordic and global perspectives. 

Amos Rex presents the exhibition in collaboration with Southnord, an artist-led platform focused on Afro-Nordic contemporary art. Through African and Afro-Nordic experiences, the exhibition offers new ways of understanding today’s global issues and our shared reality. The exhibition is part of Southnord Artfest 2026, an ambitious programme of events taking place across several other art institutions in Helsinki. 

“Amos Rex has the unique ambition as an independent museum to think about the Nordic region’s relationship to the rest of the world. The Other Side of the Mountain, and our collaboration with Southnord, is an opportunity to see the art of the African continent in relation to works from artists closer to home who are thinking about African identity in the Nordic context,” says Amos Rex’s director Kieran Long. 

The exhibition is curated by Katariina Timonen (Amos Rex) and Marcia Harvey Isaksson(Southnord). 

The Other Side of the Mountain—Perspectives from Africa and the Afro-Nordic Diaspora at Amos Rex, October 14, 2026–March 21, 2027. 

For more information about Southnord Artfest 2026, please visit the Southnord website.