The “Forms of Presence” art exhibition invites visitors to reflect on the themes of identity and distance

The art exhibition *Forms of Presence: Proximities* opens on October 1, 2026, at the Köysirata Gallery of the Turku University of Applied Sciences Academy of Arts. Organized within an international context, the exhibition invites visitors to reflect on the themes of identity, presence, closeness, and distance. The exhibition will be on view from October 2 to October 18, 2026.

“Forms of Presence: Proximities” brings together works that explore the formation of identity through relationships and encounters, from the perspectives of various media, viewpoints, and scales. The exhibition is an exceptional undertaking: it emerged from the international Professional Media Presence (PMP) project, co-funded by the EU and coordinated by the Turku University of Applied Sciences Academy of Arts. The local exhibitions in this series will be held simultaneously in six different countries. In addition to the physical exhibitions, a joint virtual gallery will open on October 1.

The works in the group exhibition *Proximities* explore how identity is constructed and shaped in relation to other people, non-human beings, the environment, technology, and the cycles of life and death. In these works, presence is not portrayed as a singular or permanent state of being, but rather as a shifting network of connections, tensions, and interdependencies.

“In addition to the individual works, the exhibition as a whole is built on the relationships between them. The works reveal themselves both in relation to one another and beyond the gallery walls, for example through the performance weekend taking place October 3–4. This reflects the core idea of the exhibition: identity and presence are always shaped in relation to others”, says one of the exhibition’s curators, Lecturer Anni Sundbacka from Turku University of Applied Sciences.

This multimedia group exhibition, which combines various art forms, features alumni of the Academy of Fine Arts and other artists living in Finland from diverse backgrounds.

The group exhibition features the artists Meri Hietala, Jenni Honkamaa, Aino Karstinen, Tianjun Li, Kirsi-Marja Moberg, Miradonna Sirkka, Tuulia Soininen, Alexandra Stroganova, and Leda Vaneva. The exhibition was co-curated by Suvi Lehtinen, Kirsi-Marja Moberg, Anna Kuusela, Anni Sundbacka, and Leda Vaneva.

Exhibition Opening

The exhibition opening will be held on Thursday, October 1, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Köysirata Gallery (Linnankatu 56, Turku). Opening hours and additional information about the events during the opening weekend, October 3–4 (advance registration required for some events): https://www.turkuamk.fi/en/event/forms-of-presence-proximities/

The Professional Media Presence project is funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the authors of this text and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA is responsible for them.

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