Helsinki Biennial 2025 Explores Non-Human Perspectives on Vallisaari Island

The third edition of the Helsinki Biennial, titled 'No island is just an island,' takes place on Vallisaari Island, a former military outpost ten kilometers from Helsinki. Organized by the HAM Helsinki Art Museum under director Arja Miller and curated by Blanca de la Torre and Kati Kivinen, the biennial shifts focus from the human to the non-human, integrating biology, chemistry, and sound. Most works are outdoors, including Saskia Calderòn's 'Jungle Choir and Sonnet for Vallisaari,' which invites visitors to listen to music inspired by Ecuadorian forest spirits; Pia Sirén's billboard of pseudo-natural landscape made from industrial sacks; Sara Bjarland's bronze dolphins modeled after abandoned plastic inflatables; and Nomeda & Gediminas Urbonas' PVC drainage pipe installation with sensors monitoring soil pollution and insect sounds. Other artists include Ernesto Neto with a giant crocheted bird 'SaariBird,' Ana Teresa Barboza with incised Amazonian bark, Tania Candiani amplifying nature sounds, and Olafur Eliasson with a large kaleidoscope capturing the sea horizon. Works are also displayed at Esplanade Park and HAM. The biennial rethinks human relationships with extrahuman narratives, emphasizing listening and environmental awareness.