Art is a way of thinking, creating, and seeing differently. Its power lies in expression: in its ability to open up new perspectives, give form to emotions, experiences, and phenomena for which there are not yet ready-made words. Make visible that which is only beginning to take shape, remains silent, or has been overlooked. Art invites us to view the world in a new way, and it is precisely in this that its societal significance resides—the vigor of expression.
Forum Box is an artist-run, non-profit contemporary art gallery located on the waterfront in Ruoholahti, Helsinki. Maintained by a cooperative founded in 1996 at the initiative of sculptor Kain Tapper, the gallery provides a space where art is free to exist on its own terms. Its austere and minimalist setting invites a direct encounter between the artwork and the viewer.
In 2026, St. George Bakery presents works by several Forum Box member artists in four distinct exhibitions—an open invitation to join us in experiencing art together.
The artists featured in the summer exhibition of the 2026 series are Outi Pienimäki, Samppa Törmälehto, Tiina Elina Nurminen, Kaisu Koivisto, and Pauliina Turakka Purhonen.
Kaisu Koivisto (M.A., Art and Design, b. 1962) works across multiple disciplines, combining photography, sculpture, drawing, and video in her artistic practice. At the core of her work is an exploration of concepts of landscape, environment, and nature.
For Koivisto, materials function as documents that tell stories about time, human activity, and changing values. The previous lives and uses of recycled materials become integral parts of her works. Photography and video provide alternative ways of revealing materials, their transformations, and the visible passage of time.
Koivisto’s works often highlight the distinctive characteristics of northern landscapes and urban environments. Unexpected combinations of subject matter, materials, and techniques are a hallmark of her practice. Her works emphasize the intersections between post-industrial nature and culture, as well as states of change driven by economic, social, and political factors.
Koivisto has exhibited extensively in Finland and internationally. Her exhibitions include presentations at the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma (Helsinki), Aboa Vetus Ars Nova (Turku), the Tampere Art Museum, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (Madrid), MoMA PS1 (New York), the Turku Art Museum, WAM Turku City Art Museum, EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art, Galleria Sculptor (Helsinki), the Pori Art Museum, the Kumu Art Museum (Tallinn), the Museo Hendrik Christian Andersen (Rome), the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, the Mark Rothko Art Centre (Daugavpils, Latvia), and the Venice Biennale.
“Nurminen’s paintings are a kind of autobiographical notes or messages through which she gives her memories, experiences, and the emotions connected to them a lasting form, while at the same time making them accessible to all of us. Essential elements in her works are light, color, and line, which together create something difficult to define, yet clearly recognizable.” — Timo Valjakka
Tiina Elina Nurminen graduated from the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in 1994 and later studied in Frankfurt under the tutelage of Per Kirkeby. Her work is represented in many of Finland’s most prestigious art collections, such as those of the Saastamoinen Foundation, Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, Espoo Museum of Modern Art EMMA, and HAM Helsinki Art Museum.
Outi Pienimäki (b. 1959) explores colour, the layered nature of time, and questions of existence at the core of her painting practice. Her works investigate the relationship between surface and depth, as well as the connection between linear time and infinite, spatial time. For Pienimäki, painting is a language that generates meaning independently, although elements of figurative imagery occasionally appear in her work. Drawing inspiration from myths, poetry, and songs, her practice examines how narratives transform over time and the traces they leave in cultural memory.
Pienimäki’s works are included in the collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, the Saastamoinen Foundation Art Collection, the Pori Art Museum, the Kuopio Art Museum, the Helsinki Art Museum (HAM), and the State Art Collection of Finland, as well as in numerous private collections.
Pauliina Turakka Purhonen (s. 1971) on taidemaalari joka eksyi tekstiiliveistäjäksi matkan varrella. Välillä hän palaa maalauksen vietäväksi. Työssään hän käsittelee elämää, kuolemaa, suuria tunteita ja ihan tavallista arkea.Hän on saanut Dukaattipalkinnon 2006 Kuvataiteen Valtionpalkinnon 2016, sekä ollut Ars Fennica-ehdokkaana 2014.
Hän opettaa ja kuratoi, ja nauttii erilaisten isojen ja pienten kokonaisuuksien tilaan sommittelusta.
www.pauliinaturakkapurhonen.com
Samppa Törmälehto (b. 1977) is known for his distinctive and bold approach to contemporary art, in which vibrant colors and organic forms merge with an energetic mode of expression. His works invite viewers to immerse themselves in multidimensional worlds that evoke both a sense of familiarity and mystery.
Törmälehto has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Finland and internationally. His works are held in several public and private collections, including the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, the Sara Hildén Art Museum, the Helsinki Art Museum (HAM), the Saastamoinen Foundation, and the Wihuri Foundation.
Instagram: samppa_tormalehto_artist
Welcome!