Dreams out of the Coal Dark

Dreams out of the Coal Dark

Eleven artists from Sweden and Finland explore coal as a symbol, a history, and a zone of conflict through installations featuring sound, light, and movement. Within the dark, magical space of the Coal House, art becomes a bearer of light, and the building transforms into a living laboratory where industry meets ecology, and the legacy of the past is reshaped into the possibilities of the future. Artists: Anna Berglind (SWE) Kalle Brolin (SWE) Alvaro Campo (SWE) Ida Idaida (SWE) Lisa Jonasson (SWE) Åsa Lockner (SWE) Johanna Lonka (FIN) Pia Männikkö (FIN) Antti-Ville Reinikainen (FIN) Hanna Stahle (SWE) Hanna Vahvaselkä (FIN)

Dreams out of the Coal Dark, Kolhuset Hälleforsnäs, Hälleforsnäs bruket, Sweden, 15–30 August 2026, tue-sun 12 -17, opening 15th August.

Plant ink works at My Forest -exhibition

Pia_Männikkö_Karike_2026

Karike, plant-based inks on paper, 80 cm x 60 cm, 2026

The Ecological Art Workshops is a collaborative project between the Helsinki Artists’ Association and the Tampere Artists’ Association. Participants created ecological plant-based inks from wild plants to paint themed artworks, and also produced zine artist books. The background and source of inspiration for the artworks was the Forest Future Stories 2025 -material published by the Kone Foundation. The exhibition features works by the following artists: Milja Hakkarainen, Helena Hartman, Sanna Härkönen, Katri Ikävalko, Merja Isomaa-James, Anna-Leena Kinnunen, Jaana Kirjonen, Jenni Koivurova, Jaana Kortelainen, Tiina Kymäläinen, Heta Laitakari, Carla Lundell, Hilkka Luosa, Pia Männikkö, Noora Palmu, Pilvi Pääkkönen, Terhi Sallinen, Merja Salonen Di Giorgio, Saara Sillanpää, and Maija Toropainen. Welcome to the exhibition at Malmitalo Gallery, Helsinki. Open until 26.7.2026!

The Art Lending Gallery

Few of my felt works are now at The Helsinki Artists’ Association Art Lending Gallery. One of the works is “Glow”, wet felted wool, silk and viscose, size 180 x 205 x 5 cm.

Art can be acquired from the Art Lending services either with a single payment or with a monthly rent. Once the full price of the piece has been paid, the ownership of the work is transferred from the artist to the purchaser. The work can be returned to the Art Lending services at any time. More info about Art Lending.

Cité Internationale des Arts

Greetings from Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris! Cité is the largest artist residency in the world with its 326 studio workspaces. Cité has been bringing together artists of all origins and generations in the heart of Paris for since 1965, for 60 years, giving them the opportunity to carry out a creative or research project in all disciplines. The weekly open studios at Cité’s Marais site are open to all public. I will have my open studio on 14th January from 6pm to 9 pm, you are warmly welcome!

View from my studio last November when I arrived at Cité.

Mundus Arbore 20.9.-16.11.2025

Mundus Arbore – World of Trees presents a rich collection of works completed in different techniques from 10 artists: Pirjetta Brander, Reetta Gröhn-Soininen, Satu Kalliokuusi, Reijo Kärkkäinen, Janne Laine, Pia Männikkö, Noora Palmu, Mari Sydänmaanlakka, Juha Vanonen and Mika Vesalahti. The video is a walkthrough of my felted works in the upstairs of Voipaala Art Centre. The exhibition is open 20.9.-16.11.2025 at Voipaala Art Centre, Sääksmäki, Finland. Welcome!

Soft Threat at Gallery Huuto

Uninhabitable and dangerous environments – such as glaciers, oceanic trenches and volcanic areas – are fascinating natural sites that attract adventurous modern people. In scorching deserts, steaming acid lakes and extreme weather phenomena, the earth’s energy and force are clearly visible and tangible. In my wet felted textile works, the untamed forces of nature are contrasted with soft materials and handicraft that can be controlled by one person.

Snowball Effect 5 – Northern Gaze opens soon

Snowball Effect 5 – Northern Gaze explores northern life and its phenomena from 22.8. to 16.11.2025. The works in the exhibition address current issues, thematically ranging from the relationship between nature and humans to traditions, bullying, religion, and challenging childhoods. The world’s gaze has also turned northward: geopolitically, the significance of the Arctic region is continuously increasing.

The exhibition spreads to both Aine Art museum and Kemi Art Museum in Finnish Lapland. Welcome to the opening at 21.8.2025!

Correspondence | Kirjeenvaihto opens in Houston

Writing the Landscape, Villa Amelia, 2025, size 33 x 48 cm.

Correspondence | Kirjeenvaihto -international group exhibition is opening soon in Houston, Texas! A unique cultural exchange between Texas, USA and Finland, in the form of a printmaking portfolio exchange titled Correspondence. The collaborative project features the creative talents of fourteen accomplished artists, seven from each country, who have explored the theme of connection through their art.

Texas artists: Tess Doyle, Cathie Kayser, Sharon Kopriva, Kelly Moran, Sherry Owens, Susan Plum, Chasity Porter
Finland artists: Roma Auskalnyte, Pirjetta Brander, Gunzi Holmström, Naoji Ishiyama, Inka-Maaria Jurvanen, Pia Männikkö, Emma Peura
Curators: Kelly Moran and Inka-Maaria Jurvanen

Contour at Porvoo Art Hall

The works in Contour explore the observation of landscapes and everyday environments, as well as how we perceive the world both broadly and in fine detail. Human figures are transformed into rolling landscapes; visual and auditory impressions and memories weave together into written tapestries; and the undulating layers of everyday textiles are revealed in the sweep of laser beams. The exhibition is open until 24.11.2024. Video filming and editing by Jyri Hakala.