Steps in the City exhibition at the Vantaa Art Museum Artsi explores the city's layering
The exhibition engages in a dialogue about urban space, safety, and the significance of diversity.
In the picture is Jenni Yppärilä´s artwork Public Toilet (Helsinki), 2020. Image: Sami Parkkinen.
The city is a multifaceted place where different realities, cultural meanings, and visual phenomena intertwine. In visual art, the city has been depicted since the early 20th century, and in contemporary art, urban landscapes and spaces are explored in various ways. Contemporary artists examine the city not only through its physical structure but also through its cultural phenomena and visual elements.
The artworks in the Artsi’s exhibition explore how issues related to the physical, cultural, and visual construction of the city have been addressed in visual art. Visual artist Leena Lehti compares the city's zoning plan to the vein pattern of a tree leaf in her artwork City Plan (2024), reflecting on the formation and development of the city.
The exhibition displays artworks that reference street art and the subcultures of graffiti. Additionally, some of the artworks reflect the artists' interest in the structures of urban space, surfaces, and their layers, which have served as the basis for their visual work. Street art often involves social influence, and in particular graffiti has sparked discussions about the use of public space in the city and its visual nature. At times, graffiti also initiates conversations about the freedom of art.
In the artworks of the exhibition, the urban environment is also examined as an expression of power. In contemporary art, the power over urban space is often explored through the act of seeing and observing. Surveillance cameras create an atmosphere of control, and artists like visual artist Taija Goldblatt address the impact of surveillance on urban experience. Goldblatt's work Hidden (2020) highlights surveillance and observation shape experiences of urban space, raising questions about privacy and safety.
Safety is also a central theme in urban space. The artworks in the exhibition explore experiences of safety and insecurity in the city environment, highlighting the multifaceted nature of urban space. The exhibition discusses the city as a fabric, where experiences of safety and insecurity intertwine. Visual artist Kim Somervuori examines in his work Safe Place Here (2025) how one’s community can affect the sense of safety in urban space.
Visual artist Otto Karvonen's Birdsong Initiative (2019) addresses public space and xenophobia. The artwork emphasizes the importance of creating a city that is a safe and inclusive environment for everyone.
Artsi has also invited to the exhibition also Mimmit peinttaa, a group advocating for a safe and equal urban culture, specializing in street art. The artists of the working group, Ruusa and Viv Magia, will in cooperation with Vantaa residents create a community-based artwork, which will be completed in stages as part of the exhibition through five workshops.
The exhibition program for the public includes open to all guided tours, senior morning sessions, street art tours, and Croquis drawing evenings. For detailed and up-to-date program information (in Finnish), visit: https://www.artsimuseo.com/tapahtumat
Steps in the City exhibition from Wed 2 April until Sun 31 August 2025
Artsi invites all city residents to celebrate the opening of the exhibition on Tuesday 1.4.2025 from 6 pm to 8 pm.
Artsi is open Tue –Wed 11 am –6 pm, Thurs 1 pm – 8 pm, Fri –Sun 11 am – 4pm.
Vantaa Art Museum Artsi, Myyrmäki house, Paalutori 3, 01600 Vantaa.
Admission to the Vantaa Art Museum Artsi is free for everyone.
Information about the accessibility of Artsi.
Artsi follows the principles for safer space, see more on Artsi´s webpage.
