We are thrilled to welcome Blanca de la Torre and Kati Kivinen as head curators of Helsinki Biennial’s third edition. Their curatorial practice is aligned with HAM’s future-orientated vision: we want to create a platform for art that wholeheartedly welcomes everyone to engage with the transformative potential of art, and encourages responsible action towards sustainable exhibition-making. Helsinki Biennial is both internationally ambitious and locally meaningful, and presents art in dialogue with the beautiful nature of Helsinki’s archipelago.

We share a longstanding interest in ecological issues and think of sustainability in a holistic way. Our shared curatorial practice includes creating sustainability guidelines that steer exhibition-making from start to finish. We both find it exciting to work in the context of Helsinki – a city that has committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2030. We are very much looking forward to making a shared contribution to this.

Architecture and design education offer children and young people the keys to exploring and appreciating their surroundings as a learning environment, whether it’s a school, a neighbourhood or a city. As a city, we can make see to it that, as part of the curriculum, architecture and design education support the wellbeing of children and young people, as well as their opportunities to be active and influence their own living environment.

Good everyday life means balance, fluency, security, rest and charging my batteries; work and other aspects of life in balance. The importance of home, the workplace and our daily routes is highlighted – they need to be functional, beautiful and pleasant.

Helsinki’s offering in summer 2023 to both residents and visitors reflect what is best about Helsinki. The city’s maritime environment available to all is a source of wellbeing, supporting physical health and providing a source of invigoration and recreation. HAM Helsinki Art Museum enriches that exquisite quality of Helsinki by combining wellbeing with culture at Helsinki Biennial

We are proud of our international biennial which showcases Helsinki’s cultural richness and spirit to the world. This year, Helsinki Biennial will be even closer to the people of Helsinki so that each resident and visitor will be able to experience art and be inspired by it. Art and culture are a great asset and source of pride for us; by bringing them to the heart of the city, we can spark conversations and strengthen community, togetherness and creativity – the very things that Helsinki is built upon.

Helsinki Biennial, now launching its second edition, has become an intrinsic part of what HAM does. The biennial is both internationally ambitious while remaining a truly local event realised through the shared efforts of HAM and the City of Helsinki. Global challenges, such as biodiversity loss and the climate crisis, affect us all. In this time, we need fresh ways of understanding, perceiving, and finding answers to difficult questions. Artists have a special skill to give new forms to history, places, feeling, and thought: their artworks can represent the present and create the future, inviting visitors to gain new points of view, insight, and at times, consolation.

The biennial takes its point of departure from Vallisaari Island, the regenerative energy of multispecies landscapes, and data which is manipulated by algorithms. It gathers ideas from an eclectic mix of influences – from natural science and cosmology, the supernatural and artificial intelligence, data science and science fiction, the sense-making practices of humans and nonhumans, the actions of sentient and other worldly beings – to identify some of the conditions through which new directions may emerge.

It is natural for Finnish architects to bring up the topic and open up discussion in an international setting and challenge the professionals in times where we have to actively seek more sustainable solutions in all areas of society. The exhibition highlights the role of architects as questioners of social issues and protectors of nature and the common good.

It is good to see the innovation from Helsinki’s natural sites become part of an important international discussion. Helsinki works hard on experiments that support new sustainable lifestyle and Helsinki Huussi is a perfect example. Helsinki Huussi represents well the spirit of Helsinki: we are natural, inventive and take responsibility for the Earth’s future. Huussi has already charmed the residents of Helsinki, right down to the heart shape on the door.

It’s wonderful and important to bring together the world's leading circular economy players in Helsinki. Circular economy solutions can increase the resilience of societies to crises and build the foundations for future prosperity. We also have to act because the climate crisis and loss of biodiversity will not wait. Many circular economy solutions already exist, but by working together we can accelerate their adoption around the world.

Circular economy business models can be used to develop sustainable business and support the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainable business is built on the circular economy. By working together, companies can develop circular economy solutions for all stages of the value chain. This will benefit all players in the sector.

It is important that Finnish material innovations and internationally recognized design expertise are combined. The field of fashion is going through one of its biggest transition periods. The green transition is underway, and a textile strategy is being prepared in the EU, which will regulate e.g. the use of materials and recycling of textiles. This offers Finland a lot of opportunities, but big changes require both domestic and international cooperation.

The Nordic countries are similar in many ways, and our commonalities are shown in the current state of the fashion industry. Our shared values of equality and innovation have birthed some of the most forward-thinking materials and companies, as well as fostered a slew of creative talent in global demand. In the midst of the most transformative period that fashion has ever seen, we want to explore how the Nordics can deepen their impact on the industry — together.

Helsinki has always represented to me freedom and the opportunity to experience diversity, as well as the opportunity to blend in with the crowd at the same time.

Helsinki Pride Week is the biggest cultural and human rights event in Finland. Pride Week takes place this year from 26 June to 2 July, and everyone is invited to enjoy the Helsinki Pride parade and park celebrations on Saturday 1 July. The City of Helsinki has been Pride’s main cooperation partner for years. It’s a big declaration that puts Helsinki in the position of value leader.

Helsinki is still a hidden gem tourist destination among the rainbow community. This is a city where human rights are realised and everyone is welcome, and the rainbow scene lives and develops constantly. This summer, the legendary DTM gay club will reopen in a new location. In Helsinki, visitors can combine in a unique way the urban buzz – cultural experiences, top restaurants and lively nightlife – with the peace offered by the surrounding nature and archipelago.

Events and cultural experiences in Helsinki are designed for everybody, regardless of their socioeconomic status. We call it a Nordic approach to art and culture – a key enabler of a good life. To make the impact real – and the ensuing happiness long-lasting, Helsinki is singularly focused on serving its residents from retirees to toddlers.

We invite schools and student groups to general rehearsals for free and collaborate with music institutes to organize Little Overture - concerts before symphony concerts. In addition, we are taking part in the Orchestra Academy of the Helsinki Music Centre. It creates a unique learning environment in orchestral music for future professionals, studying in the world-famous Sibelius Academy.

This Generation triennial was born out of joint discussions between Amos Rex and the Helsinki Youth Services. Now every three years we give space to very young artists. This is one of our boldest ventures. In their works, young artists seek new ways to approach the most pressing issues of our time; the state of nature and its coexistence with humankind, norms related to gender identity and appearance, and digital exhaustion.

Events and cultural experiences in Helsinki are designed for everybody, regardless of their socioeconomic status. We call it a Nordic approach to art and culture – a key enabler of a good life. To make the impact real – and the ensuing happiness long-lasting, Helsinki is singularly focused on serving its residents from retirees to toddlers.

We invite schools and student groups to general rehearsals for free and collaborate with music institutes to organize Little Overture - concerts before symphony concerts. In addition, we are taking part in the Orchestra Academy of the Helsinki Music Centre. It creates a unique learning environment in orchestral music for future professionals, studying in the world-famous Sibelius Academy.

This Generation triennial was born out of joint discussions between Amos Rex and the Helsinki Youth Services. Now every three years we give space to very young artists. This is one of our boldest ventures. In their works, young artists seek new ways to approach the most pressing issues of our time; the state of nature and its coexistence with humankind, norms related to gender identity and appearance, and digital exhaustion.

How might contamination be a force for positive change? How can we use biennials for the wider regeneration of things? How might agency extend beyond humans to other nonhuman entities and assemblages, including artificial intelligences? How might these threads be channelled into rethinking the ways that practices and future worlds might be conceived?

As contamination changes world-making projects, mutual worlds –– and new directions –– may emerge.

A healthy startup economy is important for any country because it creates new jobs, innovations for societies at large and can potentially solve big problems that are faced globally. At Maria 01, we carefully match startups with the right investors, and that’s one of our recipes for success. We’ve managed to create a strong and supportive start up community, and the numbers tell the story of how impactful that really is. Maria 01 is currently the hotspot for Finnish and Nordic startups. In the future, we want to be a hot spot Europe-wide and globally. 

As the report clearly shows, the impact of Maria 01 is remarkable for the whole ecosystem growth. Not only it has created a great amount of jobs but also plays a significant role in growing tax income for the area. In the future, more and more companies can thrive and make the most out of this unique growing startup hub that Maria 01 already is.

We use four main general criteria when selecting startups to join our community: scalability, product stage, funding status and the team. In addition, we emphasise the importance of SDGs. For example, startups that focus on renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, or affordable healthcare can be evaluated based on their potential impact on SDGs. We see SDGs playing a very important role in evaluating the potential social and environmental impact of the startup’s product or service, the startup’s alignment to sustainable practices, and the startup’s alignment with the goals of the local community and the larger global community. More and more we also see investors aligning with the goals and therefore emphasising impact-related factors as a requirement for future investments.

We see a vibrant cultural sphere that is accessible and affordable for all citizens as a major contributor to everyday happiness. And we are looking at culture through a broad lens: from urban city culture, to sauna culture, to high-end cultural offerings, such as the world-famous Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. It’s a diverse mix.

Helsinki is home to some of the most innovative businesses in the world. Freedom for trial and error is part of what makes Helsinki so unique. Importantly, no one is scared of failure, success comes from learning what works and what doesn’t. As part of the programme, participants will be given a vibrant workspace in the city centre and introduced to relevant business networks and hubs.

During the programme, I developed such deep friendships with people from all around the world that I may have never crossed paths with. The alumni from past 90 Day Finn programmes really took us under their wing, and I’ve had the pleasure of meeting great entrepreneurs who have helped to accelerate the speed of doing business through introductions and connections.

The strengths of Helsinki's food culture are its versatility, personality and a certain kind of uniqueness that combines local flavours and cultural influences from both East and West with a bold and innovative approach. The level of Helsinki's top restaurants is illustrated by the fact that one restaurant has been awarded two Michelin stars and five with one Michelin star

The concept of the restaurant is to serve the best Nordic flavours and to bring traditional Finnish dishes that are reminiscent of your grandma’s cooking into the 2020s with a new, innovative approach. We strongly believe in Helsinki's potential as a restaurant city at the international level, and we will be promoting this message by opening Finnjäveli's pop-up restaurant at COMO The Halkin Hotel in the Belgravia district of London from 21 March to 1 April 2023. The pop-up will also present the Helsinki Distilling Company and Finnish Gin. Our aim is to offer a unique food experience that attracts international interest in Finnish food culture, producers and ingredients and inspires people to travel to the source to experience more.

How might contamination be a force for positive change? How can we use biennials for the wider regeneration of things? How might agency extend beyond humans to other nonhuman entities and assemblages, including artificial intelligences? How might these threads be channelled into rethinking the ways that practices and future worlds might be conceived?

As contamination changes world-making projects, mutual worlds –– and new directions –– may emerge.

It is an honour to be able to write a new narrative for such a vital part of the national landscape in Helsinki and this country of ours. I believe Makasiiniranta is a far bigger project than purely its footprint. It has the potential to revitalise the whole of downtown Helsinki.

Our main goal is to make Makasiiniranta a valuable maritime area for recreation for both locals and visitors. The winner has a balanced functional concept. The restaurant, commercial and office premises and the hotel included in the new construction and the cultural venues planned for the protected Satamatalo and Olympia Terminal buildings will make the area attractive. Similarly, the New Museum of Architecture and Design to be built in Makasiiniranta will attract even more locals and visitors to the area. Makasiiniranta will become more closely connected to the city centre. The winning plan will make it a busy and pleasant maritime area on the shores of the South Harbour.

For most of the new brands working in the field of fashion in Helsinki, the key driver is the city’s values, such as equality and transparency. Our history of egalitarian design helps both the designers and consumers to make sustainable choices. Social and environmental responsibility drives especially Generation Z in Helsinki.   

There is something special about Helsinki, it is a combination of melancholy and a sense of humor that you don't get anywhere else. The background of The Sisterhood’s models may vary, but all of them have been living their youth in Helsinki and the city´s vibe affects their style, values, and general way of being. Somehow you can see that these people are not from Paris or Stockholm

The fashion scene in Helsinki has gotten really interesting. Many Nordic labels work with issues related to gender in one way or another, whether it’s a unisex, fluid or another otherwise unconventional approach. It has become a part of Helsinki’s fashion scene very naturally. Especially the younger designers have been able to find their own voices around this topic.

Cattail was a common filling material in Finland historically, but was then forgotten. Cattail is completely biodegradable, vegan, non-toxic and works really well as filling material. The Finnish government decided in 2020 to halve the use of peat within a decade as part of its climate strategy, and since then there has been a need to find alternative use for the peat production areas. Cattail grows in these areas naturally and cleans water and soil.

The success of Helsinki depends on the emergence of new business and the ability to attract talent. To increase the vitality of the city, Helsinki’s image and reputation must be actively developed in international arenas, and Slush has an important role in this.

Helsinki wants to be the best place for growth companies to do business in. Our aim is to be Europe's leading platform for experimentation and innovation by 2025. A key issue is how we succeed in attracting much-needed talent to Helsinki, and Slush’s reputation plays a big role in this. We also share the goal of sustainable growth, and Helsinki wants to be a city whose growth also improves the world.

The city's aim is that research, development and innovation cooperation with companies will promote the companies’ product development and business activities. The city can provide real-life environments for the co-creation, experimentation and piloting of new solutions. Co-creation enables companies to better deliver products and services based on the needs of end users. The experiments are useful from the city’s point of view because they also offer solutions to real urban life challenges.

The incubators are places where top Finnish research, entrepreneurial students and the entire innovation and business community in Helsinki meet.

As I wasn’t allowed to google Helsinki, I had to approach my artistic process in an entirely new way. Luckily, the stories I got a chance to read from Helsinki’s visitors were incredibly detailed and descriptive. Based on them, I slowly but surely built up an idea of what it’s like.

Before I started, I really didn’t have much of an image about Helsinki. Reindeer came to mind, that was about it. From the interviews I learned that Helsinki has a particularly diverse, unique, and open-minded nightlife. That’s what the character in my artwork represents.

When I first heard about the task, I thought it was a joke as the idea seemed a bit outlandish. But luckily it wasn’t! After hearing stories of Helsinki, I wanted to capture its closeness to nature.

We were overwhelmed by what the Helsinki-love visitors showed in the stories they sent to our Helsinki Curious artists. The artists proved that curiosity truly leads the way as all three imaginary Helsinki artworks magically succeeded in capturing the essence of the city.

The program is customised based on the individual needs of each selected team. We can help, for example, with concept development and piloting as well as gaining access to financing and the market. We have an extensive network, and we like to bring together various operators.