The new exhibition at the Mikkeli Art Museum centres around the theme of silence.
Silence is often narrowly understood as the absence of speech or sound. However, silence can open the door to inner listening, seeing, and experiencing. It surprises, as it only reveals itself after we confront restlessness and internal noise.
Silence is also highly relevant – especially in these noisy, chaotic, and war-ridden times.
“Today, people express themselves through consumption. What we are doing is something different. Silence also contains another side – the element of suffering and horror. In silence, one can journey from horror to paradise. But the journey doesn’t end there. The purpose of silence is to return to everyday life. We bring something back with us from silence,” explains visual artist Ville Löppönen.
The Manifest of Stillness is a collective born from Löppönen’s exploration of silence. He has brought together five artists for whom silence is a central aspect of their creative process. In addition to Ville Löppönen, the five artists are Ulla Karttunen, Jukka Korkeila, Anni Löppönen, and Henry Wuorila-Stenberg.
The Manifest of Stillness exhibition will be on display at Mikkeli Art Museum from 21 March to 18 May 2025.