Essi Kuokkanen: Holding a Cloud

Essi Kuokkanen reflects on what it means to be human—and how we coexist with other life on Earth. Her exhibition of paintings and drawings will be on view on Kiasma's 4th floor from October 10, 2025, to February 22, 2026.

Many of the works in the exhibition revolve around themes of growth and transformation. Kuokkanen reflects on what it means to be human by drawing parallels with other life forms. Dogs appear as recurring figures—creatures bound to the rules and rituals of human life, whether by choice or not. Her more recent works celebrate birds as beings free to follow their own logic, untethered by the rules of human existence.