“Layers of Memory”, an exhibit comprised of artwork from the collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, is on view in the Felleshus of the Nordic Embassies in Berlin from March 28th through May 2nd. The exhibit is being shown in conjunction with the tenth anniversary celebration of the Helsinki Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma.

In the ten years of its existence, Kiasma has become one of the most important and significant platforms of contemporary art in Helsinki. Moreover, it provides a forum for people to meet and exchange ideas. The focus of the work of the museum consists of visual events and the encounters associated with them. This involves developing visual memory, collecting information and motivating visitors to become active. In its collecting activity, the museum seeks to strengthen the position of present day art and intensify national and international cooperation. Kiasma is a place where art, people and ideas meet.

The theme of the exhibit in Berlin is the relationship of collective memory to art and to the understanding of art, presented in the works of approximately twenty contemporary artists from Finland. The narrative aspects contained in the works awaken the viewers’ imagination and memories. The intention of the exhibit is also to explore the “memory” of Finnish contemporary art in a broad context. The question the exhibit asks is whether the displayed works convey a certain Finnish identity or whether we interpret the pictures out of our own collective memory. The exhibited artworks deal with the classic stories of Western culture through which our visual world and perception take form.

The works of the following artists are on view in the exhibit: Petri Ala-Maunus, Kari Caven, Timo Heino, Heli Hiltunen, Reijo Hukkanen, Janne Räisänen, Aarne Jämsä, Pekka Kauhanen, Jukka Korkeila, Petri Makkonen, Kalervo Palsa, Tommi Toija, Pauliina Turakka Purhonen, and Henri Wuorila-Stenberg.

During the exhibit this spring, videos created by famous Finnish artists, e.g. Elina Saloranta, Petra Lindholm and Seppo Rennvall, and linked to the exhibit’s themes will be shown in the auditorium of the Felleshus.

Video classics from Finland and other countries – likewise from the Kiasma collection – will also be shown during the Helsinki Weeks in Berlin at the Helsinki School Photo Event, which Timothy Persons has planned and organised.