Helsinki Biennial 2027 unveils new artists and expands the world of Unknowns
Helsinki Biennial 2027 has revealed a further 16 artists and artist groups, bringing the number of announced participants to 28. Curated by Mami Kataoka and Arja Miller and shaped around Unknowns as its conceptual framework, the biennial brings together artists from Finland, the Nordic region, Asia, and beyond. Taking place across Vallisaari Island, Esplanade Park, and HAM Helsinki Art Museum, Helsinki Biennial 2027 unfolds from 6 June to 19 September 2027.
Helsinki Biennial 2027 will present the work of approximately 45 artists and artist groups. The newly announced participants are:
Ching-Yuan Chen (Taiwan), Dede Cipon (Indonesia), Leiko Ikemura (Japan/Switzerland), Tove Jansson (Finland), Jane Jin Kaisen (South Korea/Denmark), Muriel Kuoppala (Switzerland), Haroon Mirza (United Kingdom), Anna Niskanen (Finland), Erkki Pirtola (Finland), Eino Ruutsalo (Findland), Momoko Seto (Japan/France), Axel Straschnoy (Argentina/Finland), Ingunn Utsi (Sápmi/Norway), Marja Viitahuhta (Finland) & Ánnámáret (Sápmi/Finland), Haegue Yang (South Korea/Germany), and Ebosi Yuasa (Japan).
The previously announced artists are:
Ari Bayuaji (Indonesia/Canada), Tara Donovan (United States), Laurent Grasso (France), Marguerite Humeau (France/United Kingdom), Matias Karsikas (Finland), Britta Marakatt-Labba (Sápmi/Sweden), Ragnhild May (Denmark), Yoshitomo Nara (Japan), Josefina Nelimarkka (Finland), Tawatchai Puntusawasdi (Thailand), Anna Retulainen (Finland) and Jakob Kudsk Steensen (Denmark).
Together, the 28 artists announced to date begin to reveal the breadth of Helsinki Biennial 2027. Their practices span diverse artistic approaches, geographies, generations, and cultural contexts.
Curatorial concept: Unknowns
For co-curators Mami Kataoka and Arja Miller, Unknowns grows from the recognition that humanity has always understood only a fraction of the world. Across cultures and generations, people have turned to spirituality, science, storytelling, and imagination to navigate what remains unknown.
Rather than treating the unknown as something to be overcome, Helsinki Biennial 2027 approaches it as a space of openness and exploration. The biennial brings together artistic practices that engage with what remains beyond certainty and comprehension. Particular attention is given to connections between Nordic and Asian cultures, mythologies, and ways of understanding the world.
The Hattifatteners as a symbol of Unknowns
Tove Jansson, one of the artists selected for Helsinki Biennial 2027, created the Hattifatteners for the Moomin stories. Mami Kataoka and Arja Miller see these mysterious wanderers in resonance with their curatorial concept and consider them as a symbol of Unknowns.For the co-curators, the Hattifatteners reflect the curiosity, imagination, and joy of exploring what remains unknown that shape Helsinki Biennial 2027.
“Hattifatteners fascinate us because they inhabit a space between worlds. They embody what is present yet not fully understood, and as beings of boundless potential, they remind us of the joy of imagining something wondrous. In many ways they capture the spirit of Unknowns. Through the Hattifatteners and the works of the participating artists, we hope audiences will find inspiration to look beyond what is already known and imagine other ways of understanding the world,” say co-curators Mami Kataoka and Arja Miller.
The full list of artists, detailed programme, and additional information about artworks and events will be announced in early 2027.
Helsinki Biennial’s main supporter for 2025–2027 is the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation. The production of Helsinki Biennial 2027 is also supported by the Tiftö Foundation, Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation and Saastamoinen Foundation. Helsinki Biennial works in close collaboration with the City of Helsinki, Metsähallitus and Moomin Characters. The Helsinki Biennial Preview Programme is realised in collaboration with Frame Contemporary Art Finland and other art organisations in the Helsinki metropolitan area.
Head photo: Vallisaari Island. Photo: HAM / Helsinki Biennial / Matti Pyykkö