Newsletter 
At the heart of the coldest and darkest period of the Finnish winter, the LUX Festival will warm the hearts of art lovers and Francophiles alike. With its the theme “Stop time!”, this year’s edition will showcase five French or France-related works.
Two works will be presented at the French Institute as part of LUX Galleries: a video piece by artist Pascal Lièvre and an installation by Simo Puintila & Kaisu Savola. Pascal Lièvre will be at the Institute to introduce his work during a discussion on Finnish feminism on Thursday, 8 January.
Throughout the festival (6–11 January), the outdoor installations will light up each evening from 5 PM to 10 PM, and some also in the morning from 7 PM to 9 PM. The Institute will likewise remain open until 10 PM during the festival, and the works will continue to be accessible during the Institute’s regular opening hours until 24 February.
APPARITION #1 & APPARITION #2, Sophie Laly
January 6-11, Musiikkitalo and Kamppi Shopping Centre’s screens
APPARITION #1 and #2 are video installations projecting the appearance of houses nestled in the corners of private gardens. As dawn arrives, the subtle metamorphosis of the landscape is revealed: night fades, day breaks, the houses disappear, the context is revealed. Accompanied by muted, festive music illustrating a party taking place, these first two parts of the five-episode installation FADING is a stop on the trajectory of our daydreams.
Soleil Nuit, Sébastian Lefèvre
Permanent installation starting from January 6, Hietalahden tori Market Place
In the middle of Hietalahden tori market square, two large discs stand back to back: one representing the sun (SOLEIL), the other the night (NUIT). Each surface is covered with 5,000 colored mirrors reflecting the light.
The artwork is airy and delicate: the mirrors sway in the wind, producing thousands of shifting, colorful reflections. By day, it changes constantly with the play of light through the clouds. By night, it glows like a radiant celestial body.
Dreaming the Dark in Finland, Pascal Lièvre
From January 6 to February 24, French Institute of Finland
Dreaming the Dark in Finland is a video installation that pays tribute to the first Finnish feminists born in the 19th century. By filming the names of these pioneers – written on dark sand and then erased – the artist addresses the issue of the visibility and invisibility of feminism throughout history by the means of visual art. He considers these 41 feminists chosen for the work to be the ancestors of Western feminism, which resulted with the election of 19 women to the Finnish parliament in 1907. For the first time, Western women were present in parliament, paving the way for all other generations of women.
This artwork will be accompanied by a panel discussion on 8 January at 5 p.m., dedicated to the echoes of the first wave of feminism. It will explore the artistic legacy and the push for equality led by the early Finnish feminists. More information will be available soon on our website.
Hidden Statements – Messages Cachés, Simo Puintila & Kaisu Savola
From January 6 to February 24, French Institute of Finland
Since the 19th century, every era has had its own influential “hero designers” and “starchitects” who, through their work and words, have defined the ideals of the built environment. Using a large, movable, illuminated magnifying glass, Hidden Statements – Messages Cachés is a participatory work that invites visitors to explore quotations from renowned French and Finnish architects, designers, and cultural figures.
Yet, when brought into the spotlight, these statements reveal difficult questions between the lines: Who gets to decide how and from what perspectives our living environment is designed? Whose voices remain unheard, and which viewpoints go unexamined?