Raimo Saarinen

Raimo Saarinen (b. 1984) is a visual artist whose spatial and site-specific oeuvre addresses the relationship between humans and plants, most often on the level of personal experiences.

Saarinen looks at how people’s life-worlds and experiences are affected and shaped by culturally transmitted conceptions of nature. He focuses on how the formation of Westernized conceptions of nature impact the environment, as well as how these ways of looking at nature shape possible futures. With his art, Saarinen wants to invite the whole body into a form of active listening.

Saarinen’s work in Helsinki Biennial is centred on scent and olfaction. Spread across three locations on Vallisaari Island, Saarinen’s installation mixes the fragrances of the island’s original, endangered and native species with the scents of non-native plants.