Night

It shows the many faces of the night: kind, sad, scary, and serene. Not everyone gets to rest when night falls. For tired, sleepless parents, night workers, nightmare sufferers, and homeless wanderers the night can be long and lonely. Even if you can lay your head on a pillow in the evening, your mind may still start to wander its own pathways.

Dreams are collective and universal, as well as being a very private and inexplicable borderland of visions. Bedtime stories and counting sheep serve as rituals that coax us into the wellsprings of slumber. You never know where dreams will take you. It might be a journey into space, your own kitchen, or down a rabbit hole.

Here, the artworks carry on a dialogue with poetry, written by the poet Henriikka Tavi. Besides old European art, the exhibition features paintings, prints and sculptures from the 19th century up to the present day, all from the Finnish National Gallery’s own collection. Designer Lauri Johansson is responsible for the exhibition’s architecture, and it has been curated by curator Kersti Tainio.