Preparations for the 2025 Helsinki Biennial are underway – Esplanadi Park to be included as a new venue

The Helsinki Biennial 2025 will be held from 12 June to 21 September 2025 on Vallisaari Island, in Esplanadi Park, and at HAM Helsinki Art Museum. Curated and produced by HAM, this major visual arts event is organised with great passion for a broad audience, aiming to create a thought-provoking celebration of visual arts in the summertime maritime environment of Helsinki.

The Helsinki Biennial is an ambitious major visual arts event offering a unique overall experience in Helsinki’s archipelago nature. The biennial’s cornerstones are site-specific commissioned works for each edition, where art enters into dialogue with Vallisaari Island’s history and its flourishing nature that has existed without human habitation for decades. The goal of HAM and the City of Helsinki is to make the Helsinki Biennial one of the most renowned international art biennials.

“We want to maximise the presence of art in Helsinki and envision the Helsinki Biennial as a city-wide celebration of art. The charming Esplanadi Park joins as a new venue, offering the opportunity to explore the biennial’s offerings for free in a central location in Helsinki. In 2025, in addition to art, we will pay special attention to the visitor journey and experience,” says Arja Miller, Museum Director of the Helsinki Art Museum.

The head curators of the Helsinki Biennial 2025 are Blanca de la Torre and HAM’s Head of Exhibitions, Kati Kivinen. A total of just over 30 artists or artist groups will participate in the Helsinki Biennial 2025. Artists from around the world will be included, with a particular focus on South America and Northern Europe. Around half of the artists will present new commissions or site-specific works.

Photo: Helsinki Partners / Lauri Rotko.