Hannaleena Heiska & Minna Tervamäki: Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis is an interdisciplinary exhibition created uniquely for EMMA’s space by artist Hannaleena Heiska and dancer-choreographer Minna Tervamäki. The exhibition fuses film, painting and dance into a seamless creation.

An important part of the exhibition are the performances that will take places at EMMA in the spring 2023. As seen in previous works by the duo, the space will be transformed as Heiska paints and Tervamäki dances. The viewer can never know beforehand what kind of exhibition they are likely to encounter when they enter the space.

The artists describe Metamorphosis as follows. “It proposes one possible way of being an artist, and one possible meaning of art. The abstract narrative is like an antidote to the hectic pace of contemporary life, just as painting and film are antidotes to today’s reality-distorting filters and wow culture. It evades categorization yet consists of recognizable elements. It invites you to plunge into a new kind of viewing experience and to open your mind to non-verbal narrative.”

Heiska and Tervamäki began their collaboration with Trace, which debuted at EMMA in 2016. Their return to EMMA in autumn 2023 is a logical continuation of their co-practice.

Heiska is a visual artist who works across the media of painting, drawing, video art, installation, and performance. Tervamäki is a dancer and choreographer who has had a long and celebrated career as principal dancer at the Finnish National Ballet. Today she focuses primarily on choreography and multidisciplinary projects.

The exhibition will be on view in EMMA Arena, the museum’s space for experimental projects.