Katie Holten (b. 1975) is an Irish-born artist and activist who interweaves ecology, environmental activism, language and literature in a career now spanning over two decades.
At the root of her practice is a dedication to fighting the climate crisis and the biodiversity emergency.
Holten’s works foreground the entangled history of plant life and humans. Our reciprocity with plants is an enduring part of human civilization, yet the Anthropocene has radically transformed our relationship with the vegetal world. The artist seeks to foster a new understanding of human-plant relations and to heal our fractured bonds with the Earth in the midst of an existential emergency that stems largely from human alienation from nature.
Taking inspiration from Vallisaari’s plant and fungi life, Holten creates a bespoke forest alphabet for Helsinki Biennial. She will also transform Vallisaari Island’s yellow firefighting depot into a Forest School.
The artwork production is supported by Culture Ireland.
Artwork locations: Esplanade Park and Vallisaari Island
Photo: Dillon Cohen