17. Graphica Creativa Print Triennial – Dreaming Is Seeing

20.9.2025–11.1.2026

The International Graphica Creativa Printmaking Triennial celebrates its 50th anniversary this autumn. Established in 1975, Graphica Creativa is the oldest international printmaking triennial in the Nordic countries and the only regularly recurring international printmaking exhibition in Finland. Held every three years, the triennial has become a significant platform for showcasing both emerging and established voices in contemporary printmaking.

The theme of the 17th edition is Dreaming is Seeing. The exhibition invites viewers to enter the realms of imagination and reverie. Imagination is a human superpower — a way of perceiving the world differently, envisioning alternative futures, and rediscovering the familiar with fresh eyes. What new possibilities arise when we allow ourselves to dream?

The 2025 triennial presents a curated selection of works by internationally recognised contemporary artists, alongside historical highlights drawn from museum and private collections. Together, these works offer a rich overview of both the present and the past of the triennial’s trajectory.

Invited contemporary artists: Elisabet Alsos Strand (NO), Felipe Baeza (MX/USA), Dominica Harrison (UK), Gabriela Jolowicz (DE), Michael Menchaca (USA), Chika Osaka (JP), Ciara Phillips (CA/UK), Lilian Porter (AR/USA), Marje Üksine (EE).

A highlight of this year’s programme is the FLOS – Arctic Flowers, a cross-disciplinary installation and series of performances at the museum’s Gallery — created by visual artist Vappu Rossi, sound designer Tuomas Norvio, vocalist and musician Aino Peltomaa, and the early music ensemble Ensemble Gamut!

The exhibition also features selected works from notable artists in the triennial’s history, including Jiří Anderle (CZ), Mersad Berber (BA), Norman Catherine (ZA), Chuck Close (USA), Jim Dine (USA), Shiro Fukazawa (JP), Sandra Ramos (CU), and Wolfgang Troschke (DE), offering a retrospective glimpse into the event’s five-decade legacy.

The exhibition is supported by The Finnish Heritage Agency and Tokyo Arts Council.

Vappu Rossi, Tuomas Norvio and Aino Peltomaa Ensemble Gamut!: FLOS

The multidisciplinary work FLOS brings together Vappu Rossi’s live drawing, Tuomas Norvio’s sound art, and the music of Ensemble Gamut!.

The concept behind FLOS is created by musician Aino Peltomaa, whose original compositions intertwine with medieval flower-themed melodies, forming a unified whole with visual and sound art. During performances held throughout the exhibition, Rossi draws on a large roll of black paper mounted on an acoustic wall panel. The drawing itself becomes an instrument: the sound, tempo, movement, and rhythm of the drawing tools are carefully choreographed. The image grows and evolves during the FLOS performances over the course of the exhibition. The large roll drawings on display have been created in previous concerts and rehearsals of the series. The soundscape of the space is composed by Tuomas Norvio, based on fragments recorded during the concerts.