To Spring Pasture

Fairy tale-like elements and story-based imaginary content connect the works of the exhibition's six artists. Based on the Bäcksbacka collections, the exhibition will be experienced without shoes, and the exhibition architecture is entirely scaled to a child’s size. 

The focus in all stages of HAM’s To Spring Pasture art exhibition’s planning process has been on children and their families. The exhibition’s works share the 1970s aesthetics with its recognisable, wavy expression and intense colours. The works travel smoothly between fantasy worlds and everyday reality opening the door to the habitat of realistic and imaginary characters. Art enthusiasts enjoy rare treasures, as most of the exhibition’s works are on display at HAM for the first time.

The youngest viewers are considered in the exhibition architecture with unique, playful solutions, and the audience is given opportunities for self-expression. The exhibition’s child-focused architecture was designed by Aalto+Aalto.

Apart from a few exceptions, the works in the exhibition are included in the HAM’s Bäcksbacka collections: the collection donated by Leonard and Katarina Bäcksbacka in 1976 – the heart of the City of Helsinki’s art collections – and the donated collections of Ingjald Bäcksbacka and Christina Bäcksbacka from 2018. The legacy of the gallerist family, its connection with the present, and its devotion to colours and figurative art continue to live in these collections.

The exhibition’s artists: Veikko Hirvimäki, Alice Kaira, Pirkko Lepistö, Tuomas Mäntynen, Michael Schilkin, and Antti Vuori.The exhibition is curated by HAM curator Sanna Tuulikangas.

We encourage examining the art works carefully. You can try to identify colours, creatures or seasons, for example. The works can be freely used as fuel for the imagination; you can make interpretations and come up with stories of your own. When visiting the exhibition, you can pick up a booklet with more information on the artists and exercises related to the pieces.The booklet is also available here (PDF).