Helsinki Art Museum — Attraction in Helsinki sub-region

The exhibition "Pehmo" (meaning "Softy") was so underrated. I loved most of the works in this exhibition but I shall mention a few outstanding ones here.

Paulina Purhonen's "Up in the air" was a 3-meters 'soft' sculpture of a burly man lifting a female dancer up in the air, seemingly flipping her upside down. I was instantly captivated by the man's effortless gesture, and his almost nonchalant gaze which juxtaposes the woman's anguish in her eyes. I loved the details: A feather in the man's back pocket; his feet were tiptoeing, almost off the floor, revealing his sense of weightlessness; his t shirt was of a upside-down cherub and a spilling wine glass, mimicking the scene in front of us; the woman was clad in only one polka dot stocking and where's her other shoe? A modern-day Cinderella in a not-so-happy-ever-after situation? The man had an apparent bulging beer belly, definitely not our everyday Prince figure. Or perhaps it is (due to biasness)? I loved the overall whimsical and theatrical effect that this sculpture had on me.

Sari Kemppinen's "Your gentle hands" was a 'portrait' of a smiling woman (reminiscence of Mona Lisa and her enigmatic smile). On closer inspection, however, it was an artwork made of collective black buttons of various sizes, studs, and push pins.

AK Vainio's "Love is both honey and venom" was a hand-knotted art carpet that took her 1000 hours to knot. The smiling cherubs with sharp, shark-like teeth were grotesque but hilarious.

Jenni-Juulia Wallinheimo-Heimonen's "Poverty Knitting" was a tranquil and meaningful hands-on experience for me during which I tried to knit (knit stitch) the loose yarn that had already mostly been woven into a circular scarf. Hence, no matter how I knit, it will always be circular and seemingly unfinished, aptly depicting the vicious cycle of being poor. As the aphorism goes, "The rich get richer and the poor...

HAM Museum is located in central Helsinki, you know you're there when you see the giant seagull on the roof.

The entrance fee is 16€ per person. Expensive, but I guess that's the price you pay for utter confusion.

The Tove Jansson exhibition was 1 room. It was very cool to see the actual paintings she did and to get some information. But it was still only 1 room and that felt a little sad, knowing she was a great artist with many facettes.

Behind was a temporary exhibit about Sami people, the indigenous people of the Nordics. That one was interesting and I recommend seeing the film if you visit. I hope they keep this part of the museum permanent as well.

Now for the rest: We entered a huge hall with nothing but 2 giant fake rocks and background noise. Oh and also 3 lightbulbs on the floor.

Then another one with a TV, showing a man doing an interpretive dance.

Then there was some trash.

Downstairs we saw some plastic shapes being filled with air.

I KNOW, it all means something to the artists, I read every description.

But this is the kind of art you only 'get' when 90% of other people don't get it.

All in all we were in and out in about 30 minutes, although we really tried to take our time.

I like museums, I like art. I don't like being confused by 3 lightbulbs on the floor of an empty hall being guarded by security.

16€ is a lot for a short, irritating visit, so maybe think about if you're intellectual enough to grasp the concept of HAM, before you visit.

The shop was...

I went to see the Ellen Thesleff exhibition:'I Paint Like a God 'and was pleasantly surprised by the Pawel Althamer exhibition: 'I (am)'. Althamer's installations were haunting, quirky and depressing. With seeing if for nothing else than to see how he juxtaposes how different the lives of people living in close proximity to each other are. The staff at the museum were extremely kind and helpful particularly when they realised that some of the audio installations weren't functioning, so instead ther just provided a detailed explanation of the piece. The Thesleff paintings were a different experience. I especially enjoyed how she portrayed the beauty and strength of her female subjects. It was refreshing to see women who were beautiful without necessarily needing to be nude and to see their strength also portrayed in the echo motif. When was last time you saw a painting of women/ girls screaming, just simply being loud and bold, yet rooted and grounded? Likely not lately and not often. Lastly, if you haven't had a chance to experience the creativity of Tove Jansson beyond Mummin, you're missing out. ' 'Electricity' and 'Party in ther City' were...