Kosen Ohtsubo & Tuomas A. Laitinen: Mitate 見立て

The exhibition features collaborative works by Tuomas A. Laitinen and Japanese ikebana legend Kosen Ohtsubo, as well as Laitinen’s glass sculptures.

Tuomas A. Laitinen is a contemporary artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans moving image, sound and glass. For many years, he has researched subjects such as octopus consciousness and these creatures’ remarkable capacity for adaptation. 

In this exhibition, glass sculptures from Laitinen’s series Proposal for an Octopus enter into dialogue with experimental floral arrangements by Kosen Ohtsubo, a world-renowned innovator in the art of ikebana.

Over more than six decades, Ohtsubo has pursued his practice in Japan and internationally, while also establishing himself as a dedicated teacher of ikebana traditions and techniques. 

The exhibition’s title refers to a traditional Japanese aesthetic concept of mitate that can be translated as “likening something to something else”. In a Japanese garden, for instance, rocks might be arranged to evoke mountains. 

The exhibition embodies the two artists’ shared approach to interpreting the world through art: it is an invitation to look at familiar things from a new perspective and discover connections where none were previously apparent.

Helsinki Contemporary

30.10.-22.11.2026

Wed-Fri 12.00-18.00

Sat-Sun 12.00-16.00

Free entry