Emma Helle
Photo: Sampo Linkoneva, Serlachius
In Crossing Over, Helle invites viewers on a journey along the river of the world, between this world and the next. The exhibition explores death and the emotions associated with it, including sadness, longing and fear. Drawing on folk poetry, spells and shared cultural heritage, the works open up a space for the magical and the unknown.
Emma Helle is a sculptor whose practice explores questions of representation: whose stories are granted visibility? Drawing on art history, northern folklore, and ancient myth, her sculptures propose alternative narratives and ways of seeing. Their surfaces range from rough to smooth, with some covered in richly coloured glazes while others remain unglazed bisque. Throughout history, representations of the human figure have been shaped by persistent conventions – a legacy that Helle critically examines by challenging binary understandings of the body and gender.
Helle (b. 1979) graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts at the University of the Arts Helsinki in 2007. She has presented numerous solo and group exhibitions in Finland and internationally, at venues including the Turku Art Museum, Malva Museum of Visual Arts in Lahti, and the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm. Her works are represented in several private and public collections, including the Finnish National Gallery, HAM Helsinki Art Museum, Sara Hildén Art Museum, Saastamoinen Foundation, Pro Artibus Foundation, and Turku Art Museum.
Galerie Forsblom has been representing Emma Helle since 2018.
The exhibition will be on view at Serlachius Museums in Mänttä, Finland, from 13 November 2027 to 9 April 2028.
