IC-98: Sparks in the Black Night

The works of artistic duo IC-98, formed by Visa Suonpää and Patrik Söderlund, generate site-specific experiences, unifying rituals, and alternative ecological understanding. They propose models that challenge the human-centred worldview and take into account the interdependence of living and non-living nature.

The exhibition at Serlachius Headquarters combines a retrospective and a prospective dimension: it returns to the past in order to orient itself towards the future. This highlights the long-term role of art as a catalyst for social and ecological change.

The exhibition also includes a future-oriented plan for long-term, site-specific projects, which will be initiated in the exhibition and implemented later in stages.

The first floor of Serlachius Headquarters will display key works from IC-98’s production of recent years. Included are, for example, Omnia Mutantur (2018), Lands of Treasure (2021/2022) and Impivaara (2024) as well as documentary review works on certain site-specific projects, such as House of Khronos (2016), located in the municipality of Pöytyä.

One of exhibition’s main works is the site-specific installation Gilgamesh (2027), created for the historic management rooms of the Serlachius company’s headquarters. The installation draws parallels between the operations of the Finnish forest industry company and the endeavours of the main character of the Sumerian epic. At the heart of both stories is the felling of forests, the building of worlds, and the pursuit of immortality.

Many of the new works in the exhibition are related to Mänttä and the Serlachius company. Kaatuneet/Fallen (2027) is a project whose raw material is a forest felled in Vilppula, near Mänttä, a few months before the exhibition’s opening.

As part of the exhibition, artworks from the Serlachius collection will also be on display. The exhibition encourages visitors to view the architecture of the Serlachius Headquarters and the art associated with it through a lens that captures the way the historic forest industry company understands its environment.

The exhibition is curated by Pauli Sivonen, Director of Serlachius.