Gallery Week: Discussion

Discussion: How can Finnish contemporary art become internationally visible? Does Finland have enough vision, insight and ambition to create new forms of outside interest for what its artists are creating? People keep coming back to this eternal question, which has been asked for years and decades. Today Finland is increasingly attracting international attention for a variety of reasons, among them the geopolitics of war in Europe and the ever more tangible outcomes of climate change. How is it that visual artists from Finland are still, for the most part, stuck in the status of being ‘best-kept secrets’ while the country boasts so many world-famous orchestra conductors, architects and designers? Why do so many artists here still feel like they live on a remote island? Does Finland have enough vision, insight and ambition to create new forms of outside interest for what its artists are creating? Panellists include the artist Benjamin Orlow, who represents Finland in the Nordic Pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale, the gallerist Olli Piippo, Owner and Director of Helsinki Contemporary and Arvid van der Rijt, Senior Advisor for International Netwoks at Frame Contemporary Art Finland. The moderator is Kohta’s Director Anders Kreuger. Kohta 26.9.2026 16.00-17.30 Free entry This discussion in English is part of the Gallery Week programme. Photo: Jussi Tiainen

Event data: City of Helsinki Linked Events, CC BY 4.0.

Source: City of Helsinki Linked Events (CC BY 4.0) — https://kohta.fi/event/discussion-how-can-finnish-contemporary-art-become-internationally-visible/?lang=eng