Gunzi Holmström’s (b. 1964) idiosyncratic art offers glimpses into her inner life and her ongoing quest for spiritual growth.
Her paintings, sculptures, installations and media art invite viewers to identify with universal experiences of growth around major existential questions, while also leaving room for imaginative speculation and free association.
Photo: Natalia Kozieł-Kalliomäki
Gunzi Holmström: From the Dark into the Great Blue Yonder, 2025. Helsinki Biennial 8.6.–21.9.2025, Vallisaari Island. Photo: HAM / Helsinki Biennial / Sonja Hyytiäinen
From the Dark Into the Great Blue Yonder, 2025
Artwork location: Vallisaari Island
Gunzi Holmström’s sculptural installation premiering on Vallisaari Island is a celebration of life and its astounding ability to constantly adapt and flourish in new forms. The ancient Greek philosopher Anaxagoras (400 BCE) coined the term ‘panspermia’, or ‘seeds of life’, to describe his theory that life travels across the universe in the form of seeds. Since then, among various speculations, also meteorites have been theorized as one possible source for the spread of life between different planets and solar systems. However, the mystery of life remains a subject that continues to intrigue human minds and invite speculation among artists and scientists alike.
The artist’s bronze sculpture is an entanglement of fungi, tree roots, jellyfish and micro-organisms merged with elements suggestive of extraterrestrial life forms and science fiction worlds.
The artist is intrigued by nature’s complex webs of reciprocity and the rich subterranean life contained within soil, where countless organisms communicate, cooperate, evolve and thrive in unison. Biosensors placed underground give impulses for the soothing soundscape inspired by vibrating Tibetan singing bowls. The therapeutic effects of sound stem from the traditions of indigenous peoples – sound has an ancient kinship with meditation and healing.
From the Dark Into the Great Blue Yonder will have its public premiere as part of Helsinki Biennial 2025, after which it will be installed as a permanent public artwork in Helsinki’s urban space.