Sub­ter­ranean

2 April – 21 August 2022

Museum Amos Rex, Helsinki

Curated by: Pontus Kyander

The underground world is enigmatic, exciting, alluring, dangerous and mysterious. There is much more beneath the earth’s surface besides earth, minerals and roots. There is also the glowing magma of volcanoes, underground aquifers, unexplored caves, rabbit holes, catacombs, and metro tunnels.

The Subterranean group exhibition uses four themes to explore how artists through the centuries have depicted the worlds beneath our feet. This extensive exhibition features 101 works by 62 artists. The works take us into the caves and cavities of the earth’s crust, the mythological realms of death, the rabbit holes of literature and traces of the exploitation of the earth beneath our feet.

The historical and contemporary works in the exhibition form a multi-faceted image of underground realities. Subterranean includes paintings, sculptures, photography, installations and video art. The oldest work in the show is from 17th century, while the newest ones were completed just for this exhibition.

Artists in Subterranean are:
Roma Auskalnyte, Felipe de Ávila Franco, Per Barclay, Antoine-Louis Barye, Ursula Biemann, Louise Bourgeois, Tom Claassen, J. F. Clemens / Nicolai Abildgaard, Johan Christian Dahl, Tacita Dean, A K Dolven, Gustave Doré, Cho Duck-Hyun, Cecilia Edefalk, Magnus Enckell, Anna Estarriola, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Helene Garberg, Ane Graff, Håkon Gullvåg, Inma Herrera, Nicola Hicks, Leif Holmstrand, Peter Johansson, Per Kirkeby, Jussi Kivi, John Augustus Knapp, Britta Marakatt-Labba, Lucila Mayol, Elina Merenmies, Gustav Metzger, Félix Nadar, Joar Nango & Ken Are Bongo, Ernesto Neto, Mariele Neudecker, Tuula Närhinen, João Penalva, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Tal R, Eduard Riou, Pipilotti Rist, Auguste Rodin, Nina Roos, Hans Rosenström, Martinus Rørbye, Geir Harald Samuelsen, Sten Are Sandbeck, Nedko Solakov, Axel Straschnoy, Pascale Marthine Tayou, John Tenniel, Katja Tukiainen, Marianna Uutinen, Marko Vuokola, Jens Ferdinand Willumsen, Per Wizén, Joseph Wright of Derby, YOUNG-HAE CHANG HEAVY INDUSTRIES