Helsinki: Amos Rex Museo

Between piles of dirt exhibited as art (actual example from my past) and legitimately thoughtful art, is the paradox of the modern art museum. We went to Helsinki's most recent incarnation, the Amos Rex. Amos Rex is owned by the Amos Anderson Fund, hence the Amos part of the name. The meaning of "Rex" has not yet been discoverable to me, but may be related to Bio Rex, a cinema in the same building. Amos Rex is an underground space illuminated by these very distinct skylights above ground that are the best kind of public art. Everyone climbs on them (as did I), then peers through the portholes (as did I).

Part of the appeal of Amos Rex is the building itself, so if you hate the exhibits, at least you can look at the ceiling and skylights.

Today we saw the "Generation 2026" exhibit, by 50 young artists, ages 15-23, with some connection to Finland. There was "Her Porridge Face" where pictures of porridge and jam were superimposed over the pictures of two kids, which "explores the early attachments with important people." There was the film of three young women tromping through the forest as druids, exploring women's farting and defecation (I confess, I didn't watch the whole thing). The screen faced three toilets. This apparently addressed the taboo of women talking about scatalogical matters. Or could it have been a weekend phone film by three girlfriends who thought the subject was hysterical and all done with a wink and a nod? I expect I will never know. There always seems to be a meat sculpture as well. A large heart (?) made of meat (?) or decaying contents of the fridge. Not sure. Didn't look too closely. See picture above.

Mixed in with these outliers was art I found exceptional and very touching. That included a triptych of paintings based on photos of twin Ukrainian brothers, at a graduation party, then conscripted, then T-minus 100, post conscription. I hope the artist, Tapio Rokkonen, continues his art. I also appreciated the giant pinecone on stilts, and the "Memory Leak Garden" a video game with hallucinatory images.

The artwork by Helmi Westerlund was exceptional. Sketches of nature, but with only the outline of humans. That could be interpreted any number of ways.

Across from this artwork was a wall of sketches of 489 critically endangered species in Finland. Mostly insects, but I saw a mushroom and a bird. All meticulously sketched from collections at Finland's Natural History Museum. The installation is called "The Invisible Ones." The artist has made the invisible visible with this wall of specimens. With luck it will be displayed at the Natural History Museum after Amos Rex.

And lastly,this beautiful horse, covered in strips of cloth handwritten with wishes. Amos Rex has rotating exhibits that will suprise or disgust you, but will at least get a response. That's how it is with modern art museums. I'll leave it to you to just climb the skylights outside at Amos Rex or actually go inside.