Adaptation – Time is not on our side, towards possible futures, an exhibition produced by Photo North – Northern Photographic Centre in collaboration with Oulu Art Museum opens at the second floor of the Oulu Art Museum on Friday 16th of October. The opening is held from 5pm to 7pm.
On the opening weekend, there is a panel discussion by the artists in residence, Michèle Boulogne, Elina Bry and Jaakko Myyri, on Saturday from 2pm to 3.30pm. The discussion is in English. The exhibition curator team gives an exhibition tour on Sunday, from 2pm to 3.30pm. The tour is in Finnish.
During the opening weekend, SPEKTR Z, a mobile art-science laboratory developed by ISOLABS / Projekt ATOL in collaboration with artists and researchers, will be stationed outside Oulu Art Museum, presenting tools and methods for environmental observation, remote sensing and artistic field research. As part of the Adaptation collaboration programme, SPEKTR Z will continue field visits across the Oulu2026 region, from Oulu to Oulanka Research Station, until spring 2027, connecting the exhibition with local communities, ongoing research and field-based activities. The mobile lab is open during the opening Friday 16th between 5-7PM and on Sunday at 4 PM.
The opening program also spreads out to the Oulu City Hall. Norwegian NORDTING brings their performance about hot topics considering the arctic areas to Oulu City Hall’s Banquet hall on Saturday 17th, starting at 7pm. The event is a combination of political discussion and descision making, music and theater. The performance, open to every citizen in Oulu, brings up the current topics of Oulu and Northern Osthrobothnia on top and lets everyone use their vote on what’s worth supporting. The event is held in English.
Adaptation combines art and science
Adaptation is an exhibition rooted in the North that combines art and science and explores global environmental change. Adaptation has long been understood as biological, cultural or social adjustment. What if adaptation didn’t mean tolerating existing structures but rather changing them?
Adaptation stems from local and intergenerational knowledge but does not rule out new technologies. The artists featured in the exhibition have incorporated findings from space research into their works and used drone photography and devices they built themselves to model landscapes and radiation. The works highlight personal stories and those of local communities, as well as their concerns and various ways of adapting.
The artists featured in the exhibition are:
Matti Aikio (SA/FI)
Erich Berger (FI/AT)
Michèle Boulogne (FR/NL)
Elina Bry (UK/FI/FR)
Jaakko Myyri (FI/NL)
Arttu Nieminen (FI) & Hans Pieski (SA/FI)
Maija Tammi (FI)
The exhibition is curated by main curator Antti Tenetz and curators Taija Jyrkäs and Darja Zaitsev of Photo North – Northern Photography Centre.
The exhibition is organised in collaboration with the Oulu Art Museum, the Oulanka Research Station (University of Oulu), the Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory (University of Oulu), KulttuuriKauppila Ii and Street Level Photoworks.