Aki Suutari, VTRY: Anna Miettinen, Emilia Hakkarainen, Sara Kovamäki: Exhibitions 16.9.–4.10.2026
Exhibitions open to the public 16.9.–4.10.2026
Opening on Tuesday, September 15th, 6–8 p.m.—you’re welcome to join us!
Kymintie 1, 15140 Lahti
Open Tue–Fri 12:00 PM–6:00 PM and Sat–Sun 12:00 PM–4:00 PM,
Closed on Mondays
Our exhibitions are free of charge and accessible to all.
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Kulma:
Aki Suutari
Sykli
My works form a narrative whole. I have always been fascinated by various creation myths, myths, beliefs, and religious narratives. In my works, these narratives intertwine with an examination of the cycle of life, the end of life, and the beginning of something new.
Some of the works contain references to literature, art history, classic works of art, and various myths, beliefs, and creation myths. These influences build a layered world within the works, where different stories and imagery merge into my own imaginary world.
The works feature human-like figures covered in vegetation, as well as skulls from which plants sprout. As humans, plants, and death merge, the figures transform into new beings in which life and death are not presented as opposites, but as different stages of the same cycle.
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Kenno:
Anna Miettinen
Every time there was a new pet in the house, I knew it was getting worse
This autobiographical body of work, consisting of analog photographs and sculptures, depicts the story of a family in which the roles of child and parent have become intertwined. Constant chaos reigns in the house; some react by creating even more chaos, while others try to put out the flames. In the end, everyone is just trying to get through the day.
Through scenes set in a dollhouse, Miettinen explores how a parent’s mental health issues, socioeconomic class, intergenerational trauma, a multicultural environment, and unstable family dynamics affect a child. In the exhibition, she shapes her memories into reflections and glazed materials, which together offer a glimpse into this reality.
In Miettinen’s childhood, carefree moments and play were often overshadowed by the worries of adults. Now, as an adult, she has decided to play again. Unlike when she was little, she no longer tries to build a perfect home, but rather seeks to understand the chaos she knows best.
Anna Miettinen (b. 2000) is a visual artist who works primarily with analog photography and sculpture. In her artistic practice, Miettinen combines personal reflections with broader social phenomena. She is particularly interested in the meanings associated with home, roots, and trauma, as well as the pursuit of a slower and more sustainable future. Miettinen views making art as a continuation of childhood play, where the only limit is the imagination.
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Kymi:
Emilia Hakkarainen
Rosarium - Rose Culture
I have been studying the interaction between light and matter in the garden and in space.
Things that can be admired and marveled at in the present moment—through familiar things, the world appears far removed from evil. At the same time, I try to understand what meanings it reveals to me. In my works, I approach these themes with humor and also intentionally leave things open-ended.
The works were created during the spring and summer, as gardening duties permitted.
Emilia Hakkarainen is a Helsinki-based visual artist who graduated from the Free Art School in 2024 and has recently focused on oil painting and installations. “Rosarium – Rose Culture” is her fourth solo exhibition. Hakkarainen’s works are held, among other places, by the Finnish Art Society and in numerous private collections.
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Kirnu:
Sara Kovamäki
Metsä metsässä meissä
Metsä metsässä meissä is silence, a cry, a pause, an act of listening. Presence and gestures that, in that moment, express something—strange, human, something we don’t immediately recognize—what might come of this; we share the thought: exciting, inspiring, a little uncomfortable; dark, cool, uneven terrain, a bright light shining in the darkness—dazzling.
Afterimages on the retina, focal points of the past, some personal, others collective. Yet all shared, touching us all.
We take on roles: mother, daughter, daughter’s daughter, grandmother. This chain of generations, these three links. Perhaps more will follow later. We put on clothes from different decades found in our mother’s attic and walk along a dark forest path, supporting one another and lighting the way.
Here we are—in the forest.
Literally and figuratively.
The camera is rolling.
“Metsä metsässä meissä” is our third exhibition series of the year, in which the work explores transformations—such as those embodied by the mythical figure Daphne from ancient mythology—as well as the relationship between trees and humans. The work on display at Galleria Uusi Kipinä is inspired by roots and a return home. About roles and various relationships. What kind of role do we take on within the family or in nature? How do we relate to nature, to ourselves, and to others? In society and on a global scale, humans seem to repeatedly take on the role of the villain—the one who causes problems, inflicts suffering, attacks, and destroys. Nature is striking back. What, then, protects us, what heals us?
As we filmed in pitch darkness, with the camera’s light illuminating the path within a few meters, I wondered how many animals were watching us or what they were thinking. In the dark, we’re quite helpless; in a dark forest, even more so. The animals are watching us. And when the camera’s light goes out, we can’t see a thing. Yet there is also something safe about the darkness, because then we are sheltered from humans, from our own kind.
This text is an associative side note to the video work and installation on display at the Kirnu gallery space. During the exhibition, subtle changes take place in the space: performances and role-swaps, some of which are announced in advance, while others occur at unexpected moments.
Sara Kovamäki (1981) is a visual artist with a background in dance. She often works in site- and context-specific, multidisciplinary, and experimental art processes. The themes of her works span a wide range, from the poetic to the political, and from the personal to the public and societal. She is continually drawn to art by its ever-renewing possibilities for transformation, play, incompleteness, shared worlds, and hope.
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Free entrance