Pyhä (Sacred)

Pyhä (The Sacred) is part of my long-term artistic inquiry into individual identity, freedom, and human boundaries. It stems from the realization that our relationship with the sacred is in a state of crisis: we feel shame toward its presence, yet we deeply crave sublime, timeless moments that anchor us to humanity and community. This journey was initiated by a fundamental question: What prevents us from living in accordance with our true values? Shame has distanced us from sacred experiences, replacing them with an obsession for control, where we optimize our bodies and exhaust ourselves under the demands of efficiency.

Pyhä is an interactive and somatic exhibition designed to reclaim this lost space, proposing that human worth is not derived from performance, but from our capacity to connect with others, our environment, and the intangible. Across five core installations, the exhibition guides the viewer through longing, shame, surrender, and self-understanding. The journey opens with Garden of Eden, depicting the womb and a mythical paradise to invite rest in a timeless space, followed by Homeostasis, which explores luminous moments of balance before life's oscillation resumes. The installation Ancestors studies lineage and myth through glass, bone, and gold, while Embrace features a large cast-glass armchair positioned at the heart of the space, inviting visitors to surrender to its hold. The experience concludes with The Coffin, a sarcophagus-shaped artwork fusing timber and glass to reflect the sacred encountered in human solitude.

Productions of this scale and structural complexity are built through community and collective skill. The creation of Pyhä brought together a dedicated hot shop glassblowing team consisting of Kari Alakoski, Mira Ollila, Suvi Pulkkinen, Klaus Martin, Alberto Castellanos, Aino Simola, Jyri Huttunen, and Ohto Huttunen. The structural and atmospheric realization was further shaped by Matti Niemelä in woodwork and technical consulting, Antti Kosonen in metalwork, Tom Lindholm in electrical engineering, Petri Pulkkinen in technical consulting, Juhamatti Vahdersalo and Juho Haavisto in photography and video documentation, and Karneh alongside NOITAVATION in sound design.