Harriina Räinä’s exhibition Planetary Beings explores the presence, significance, and mutability of iron – both as a geological material and as a cultural phenomenon. 

The exhibition features experimental photo-based printmaking works created with iron oxide inks handmade by the artist, alongside a floor installation composed of iron-bearing material.

Iron is the most abundant element on Earth, forming the core of the planet’s interior. Throughout history, humans have utilised the iron found in the Earth’s crust in diverse and expansive ways – as a raw material for tools and structures, and as one of the earliest known sources of colour.

Planetary Beings stems from the artist’s long-standing interest in the material and cultural dimensions of iron – and from the lack of this vital trace element in her own body, which has sparked a desire for iron-red colours.

Her working process has taken her to Kolari, one of the most iron-rich areas in Finland, and into the depths of geological collections in Paris. Along the way, she has engaged with over fifty iron oxide pigments featured in the exhibition – some made by the artist herself, others originating from historically significant extraction sites across Europe, and one from a meteorite that arrived from outer space.

MUU Helsinki Contemporary Art Centre

31.5.-18.6.2025

Tue-Fri 12.00-17.00

Sat-Sun 12.00-16.00
Free entry