Oulu Art Museum is preparing a solo exhibition of the artist Jenna Sutela for 2027. As part of the exhibition, Sutela’s new work, which will be presented at the Finnish Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026, will premiere in Finland.
Jenna Sutela (b. 1983) is a contemporary artist working with open biological and computational processes to create living sculptures, images, and sound. Her work covers systems ranging from the human microbiome and planetary ecosystems to language and computer code. For the newly commissioned work, Sutela will also continue collaborating with researchers and scientists, which is typical for her work.
“We are proud to present Jenna Sutela’s first solo exhibition at a Finnish museum. The intersections of art and science, a key theme in Oulu Art Museum’s programme, are at the heart of Sutela’s work, expressed in a highly versatile and evocative way,” says Selina Väliheikki, exhibition curator at the Oulu Art Museum.
Based in Berlin, Sutela’s work has been exhibited widely internationally, including at the Swiss Institute in the United States, Moderna Museet in Sweden, and Haus der Kunst in Munich, and she has held residencies at institutions including La Becque in Switzerland. In autumn 2025, her works will be displayed at Castello di Rivoli in Italy, Stroom den Haag in the Netherlands, and the New Museum in the United States. Originally from Turku, Finland, Sutela graduated from Aalto University in 2008 with a Master of Arts degree.
The exhibition in Finland’s Aalto Pavilion at the Venice Biennale is commissioned and produced by Frame Contemporary Art Finland. The production of the exhibitions in Oulu and Venice is supported by the Oulu Cultural Foundation. Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture is the main partner of the exhibition at the Finnish Pavilion. The exhibition is also supported by the Ministry of Education and Culture.
“We are delighted that Jenna Sutela’s new work will be presented to the Finnish audience in the European Capital of Culture Oulu shortly after its premiere at the Venice Biennale. It is significant that the Oulu Art Museum and Frame enable a major solo exhibition of one of our most internationally renowned contemporary artists in Finland,” says Piia Rantala-Korhonen, CEO of the Oulu Culture Foundation.
Founded in 1895, the Venice Biennale is the oldest and one of the most important international exhibitions of contemporary art in the world. In 2024, it attracted more than 700,000 visitors. Jenna Sutela’s exhibition at the Finnish Pavilion, curated by Stefanie Hessler, is on display from 9 May to 22 November 2026.
More information:
Oulu Art Museum
Selina Väliheikki, curator
selina.valiheikki@ouka.fi, tel. +358 44 7037456
Oulu2026
Piia Rantala-Korhonen, CEO
piia.rantala-korhonen@oulu2026.eu, tel. +358 44 703 1116
Frame Contemporary Art Finland
Juha Huuskonen, CEO
juha.huuskonen@frame-finland.fi, tel. +358 40 570 9617