Renovated Finlandia Hall features 70 artworks and new public artwork by Kimmo Schroderus

HAM Helsinki Art Museum has curated a collection of works equivalent to a mid-sized art exhibition for Finlandia Hall as well as a new public artwork by sculptor Kimmo Schroderus. Finlandia Hall will be opened to the public on 4 January 2025.

The newly renovated Finlandia Hall, designed by Alvar Aalto, hosts 70 works from the City of Helsinki’s art collection. The works amount to the scale of a mid-sized art exhibition and are displayed across the building, covering over 20,000 square metres, with consideration for the building’s architecture and history. In addition to older works, the walls of Finlandia Hall showcase the latest contemporary art and works spanning the building’s years of existence.

Artworks considered classics and connected to the building’s history have been brought back to Finlandia Hall. These include works such as the Swan, by Birger Kaipiainen, and the bronze relief The Thought – President U.K. Kekkonen, by Laila Pullinen. Completed in 1964, the Swan has welcomed visitors in the main lobby for around 10 years. The portrait of President Kekkonen stands out from the wall-mounted, wavy bronze relief in the second-floor foyer.

Finlandia Hall now also features many artworks that have not been displayed there before, such as EGS’s painting Archipelago of Past and Future, located in the restaurant, originally created for the 2021 Helsinki Biennial. Large colourful paintings, Heikki Marila’s lush Flowers XXIII and Satu Rautiainen’s abundant Living Room, adorn Finlandia Hall’s VIP foyer. A painting by Nanna Susi delights visitors in the accommodation facilities. Kim Simonsson’s ceramic work is on display near the new shop and café in the main lobby. Works by top names in Finnish photography, Elina Brotherus, Anni Leppälä, Susanna Majuri, and Jorma Puranen, are displayed in the congress wing, meeting rooms, and the new accommodation facilities.

“The collection at Finlandia Hall is the result of a long-term collaboration. Artwork choices and their display were planned with floor plans and conceptual renderings for about a year because the site was under construction until late autumn 2024. We are extremely happy with the artworks and their diversity. It’s wonderful to have art on display again for the enjoyment of the Finlandia Hall visitors,” says Kati Nenonen, HAM’s curator responsible for the selection of works.

The collaboration between HAM Helsinki Art Museum and Finlandia Hall has been ongoing for a long time. Kati Nenonen has been responsible for choosing the Finlandia Hall’s works since 2009, having seen many changes in the building. She was also responsible for selecting the works and designing their display for Little Finlandia, which was constructed in Töölönlahti Bay to serve as a temporary event space during Finlandia Hall’s three-year renovation. The works featured at Little Finlandia will be on display until the end of 2025.

Five-metre sculpture by Kimmo Schroderus placed on Finlandia Hall’s new terrace

In connection with Finlandia Hall’s renovation, a new public artwork was commissioned from sculptor Kimmo Schroderus. Entertainer’s Day Off is placed on the north-end terrace, opening to the public for the first time. The five-metre-tall human figure made of acid-proof steel is like a Finlandia Hall visitor who has ended up on the terrace, looking over the railing at the Töölönlahti Bay. The figure draws its inspiration from travellers, party-goers, performers, Harlequin and Pierrot characters, sports team mascots, and fashion, among other sources.

“Perhaps the figure is Finlandia Hall’s performer, who, after a workday, is contemplating what to do with the freedom,” the artist describes. “The result must enable as many versatile interpretations and associations as possible. I’m happy with my work when I don’t even know myself what it is about. I wanted the sculpture to be cheerful but also sad in a calm and undefined way. I also wanted the sculpture to include absurdity and exaggerated forms. A work of art can be fun or weird, even silly, but it must not be clichéd or kitsch.”

The work’s basic form is enlivened by abundant details, the light playing on them. In bright daylight, the sculpture’s surface is full of bright reflections, and at dusk, even the smallest amount of light is enough to highlight various forms in the sculpture’s surface.

Kimmo Schroderus (b. 1970) is known as a versatile artist whose expression ranges from abstract to representational. Finlandia Hall also features his earlier work, Crossroads, from 2011. Schroderus has created various public artworks around Finland, such as the Kuru sculpture in Itäkeskus, Helsinki. He was awarded the Ars Fennica prize in 2004.

The work’s funding was enabled by the Percent for Art principle, followed by the City of Helsinki: A part of the city’s budget for construction projects is set aside for commissioning new art. The works are curated by HAM Helsinki Art Museum and added to the City of Helsinki’s art collection, which is managed by HAM.