Exhibition Beyond the Horizon at Institut finlandais
Open from 4 October to 21 December
Institut finlandais in Paris presents Beyond the Horizon, bringing together two emerging voices in contemporary Finnish art: Anna Niskanen and Josefina Nelimarkka. The horizon, where the earth meets the sky, represents the physical boundary of our sight, but also the edge of our known world. It is a line of contemplation and anticipation, inviting us to imagine what lies beyond. In the same way, the exhibition examines various points of intersection: that between art and science, the known and the unknown, as well as human beings and our environment.
Both artists push the limits of their mediums to reveal the vastness beyond what we can perceive. Highlighting our invisible connections to other living beings – through air, soil and sunlight – they awaken us to the presence of an unseen world. Given that our perception shapes our reality, by enlarging it, the artworks challenge us to question and surpass our existing knowledge and beliefs, to be in tune with the hidden processes that sustain our world. Through embracing the unknown, the exhibition invites us to explore the limitless, promising horizons that are just beyond our reach.
Curated by Stefano Vendramin.
Anna Niskanen transcends the limits of photography through alternative processes. Drawing from an archive of photographs and plants collected during her travels, she creates new compositions that mimic the fluid and constructed nature of human memory. Using the ancient technique of cyanotype, which relies on sunlight for exposure, enhanced by plant pigments, she manages to capture the intangible, creating a more direct connection to the landscapes she portrays. Her use of organic shapes and materials “imitate truths about nature and climate” that elude conventional photography. The resulting images, devoid of humans yet “man-made”, question the concept of nature as a “wild” entity and suggest our growing influence upon them.
Josefina Nelimarkka investigates the visible and invisible traces of our climate through diverse mediums, including glass, silk, poetry, and interactive technology. Working together with scientists, she transforms nano-microscopic worlds and atmospheric data into sensory experiences of images, colours, and sounds. Her work delves into the deep time of our planet, combining aesthetic and scientific perspectives to deepen our understanding of climate, particularly the enigmatic nature of clouds. Nelimarkka emphasises the imperceptible yet vital link we share with all living beings, reminding us that “When we breathe, we become air. With every breath we touch the planet.”
Stefano Vendramin, based between Paris and London and of Italian origin, is an independent curator, Director of Programmes at Art of Change 21, and founder of STRATA, a platform and agency dedicated to contemporary environmental art. Previously, he was responsible for the Fondation Thalie podcast series “Creators facing Climate Emergency” and has worked at numerous leading arts institutions including la Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection, La Gaîté Lyrique, Asia NOW, as well as the digital design and innovation agency Publicis.Sapient.
Anna Niskanen’s artwork has been supported by Centre de la Photographie de Mougins, Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Oskar Öflund Stiftelse and the Greta & William Lehtinen Foundation.
Josefina Nelimarkka’s artwork has been supported by Arts Promotion Centre Finland and the Alfred Kordelin Foundation.