Art Enabled by IHME Helsinki Respects Life-Sustaining Systems
IHME Helsinki is a pioneer in sustainability work within the visual arts sector in Finland. Art is a powerful force for change, but art itself must also occur within the frameworks of life-sustaining systems.
IHME Helsinki’s sustainability work began in 2017 with the film The Beetle by Swedish artist Henrik Håkansson, which explores the state of the planet from an insect’s perspective. According to IHME Helsinki’s Executive Director and Curator, Paula Toppila, the process of creating the work inspired reflection on whether it is enough to present art that addresses the most important issues of our time – the climate crisis and biodiversity loss – or whether the sustainability of art institutions’ practices should also be examined.
At that time, Toppila was completing a specialist qualification in management at Business College Helsinki, which included conducting an environmental analysis. The analysis result was clear: the sustainability crisis can no longer be ignored in any sector – it must be at the core of all activities given the critical state of the planet. IHME Helsinki had been considering renewing its operations, and the proposal for radical sustainability change was well received: the organisation adopted a new strategy and mission, an international expert working group, and hired an eco-coordinator.
Collaboration and Sharing as Tools for Sustainability
IHME Helsinki produces one public contemporary art piece per year: collaboration with the artist is close from the start. The curatorial approach inherently includes the perspective of ecological sustainability. The ecological ethos is present in all discussions with the artist, and the artist considers sustainability issues in the planning of the work. Toppila notes that artists selected as partners may not have previously created ecologically sustainable art, making the creation of an IHME Helsinki piece a shared learning journey.
For example, discussions with Norwegian sound artist Jana Winderen, creator of the 2020 IHME Helsinki piece Listening Through the Dead Zones, included the possibility of a seminar on the state of the Baltic Sea: is it necessary to fly experts to Finland to speak, or could their expertise be shared differently? Instead of a seminar, expert interviews were published as articles on IHME Helsinki’s website, where they continue to provide valuable information on the state of the Baltic Sea.
IHME Helsinki shares good sustainability practices on its website so that other actors in the visual arts sector can utilise them in their work. IHME Helsinki aims to promote sustainability transition across the entire art field. Toppila hopes that other art and cultural organisations – especially large institutions in positions of authority – will adopt the principle of sharing so that ideas and practices spread and inspire others. For example, the work of the Sustainable Visual Art Network (Kestävä kuvataide) and the Green Art (Vihreä taide) website are invaluable, as sharing plays a critically important role in the sustainability transition.
Art Offers Comfort and Hope
Since 2020, IHME Helsinki’s curatorial focus has been the freedom of art within the frameworks of life-sustaining systems, Toppila explains. The works created reflect on the state of life-sustaining systems and how art can raise awareness of their importance to human life. IHME Helsinki wants to explore what life-sustaining systems are and how we should protect them.
For instance, Jana Winderen’s artistic work focuses on the Earth’s hydrosphere, and the Baltic Sea was at the centre of her IHME Helsinki piece. Winderen’s spatial sound installation at the Rowing Stadium in Helsinki, Finland, brought the sounds of animals living underwater to be heard on the surface. Additionally, the project included nine expert articles addressing the state of the seas and actions we can take to protect them.
Scottish artist Katie Paterson‘s 2021 IHME Helsinki piece To Burn, Forest, Fire focuses on the biosphere, another life-sustaining system. The work addresses both already destroyed and currently endangered forests through incense that mimics their scents. The piece explores the planet’s first forest from 385 million years ago and the Amazon rainforest, which is threatened by the current multi-crisis.
From the beginning, IHME Helsinki has collected audience feedback. Audience workers collect feedback at the locations where the works are presented, and audience members are also invited to discussion events to delve deeper into the art experiences. For example, feedback on Listening Through the Dead Zones indicated that the piece made people reflect on the state of the seas, particularly the Baltic Sea, and feel concerned about it. The work made people feel a sense of connection with nature, consider the interconnectedness of everything, and pay attention to human impact on water bodies. Many felt that the piece expanded their understanding of the underwater world, sparked a desire to protect it, and motivated them to change their behaviour.
Feedback on To Burn, Forest, Fire indicated that the piece provided a place for calm and reflection and an opportunity to experience sorrow for the state of the forests together with others. Respondents felt that the work offered comfort and hope by seeing that many others felt the same way. The piece was also said to have influenced the way they view the world and raised awareness of the need to protect forests. According to Toppila, the feedback answers the question of whether art matters in the age of ecological crises.
In the Field of Art, You Can Imagine and Experiment
Toppila emphasises the role of art institutions in the sustainability transition. At its best, the operational culture of an art organisation comprehensively supports the sustainability transition – pedagogically, artistically, and professionally – which is also conveyed to the audience. The sustainability transition is about cultural change and values. An institution can articulate its values, for example, by installing an information board about its eco-actions in the entrance hall, like Tate Britain in London. According to Toppila, it is essential in IHME Helsinki’s art projects to produce art, knowledge, and practices tailored to the world of the environmental crisis. She believes that more sustainable curatorial practices will also influence the audience’s environmental behaviour through communication.
Crises have shaken the world since early 2025, but there are also positive developments. Toppila highlights the concept of positive tipping points by British climate scientist Timothy Lenton, such as the triumph of renewable energy. The affordability and ease of transitioning to renewable energy accelerate the sustainability transition and may help avoid the worst future scenarios.
Art has the potential to offer thoughts on alternative futures and create spaces where climate emotions, ecological crises, or reconstruction can be addressed from various perspectives, Toppila says.
Art is an incredibly wonderful place where things can be imagined and tested. IHME Helsinki is also such a laboratory, where we have boldly started testing and implementing sustainability actions together with artists and learned that the quality of the artworks does not have to be compromised.