Dates:
- Thu, 4 Jun 2026, 0:00–Fri, 31 Jul 2026, 0:00
“First: The Library has existed ab aeternitate. That truth, whose immediate corollary is the future eternity of the world, no rational mind can doubt.”¹
Library Genesis is a site-specific group exhibition taking place at the Rikhardinkatu Library in Helsinki in June–July 2026. The artists featured in the exhibition are Sara Blosseville, Kryštof Kučera, Hikari Nishida, Frans Nybacka, Jaakko Pallasvuo, Heu Hsu, and Xiao Zhiyu. Library Genesis is curated by Uni Nissinen.
The concept of the exhibition is inspired by the idea of the universe as an architecture of information and the library as its metaphor. This allegory persists in art and culture, most notably in Jorge Luis Borges’s philosophical story “The Library of Babel” (1941). This novel depicts reality itself as an infinite labyrinthine library, made up of an endless number of bookshelves. The unifying element of Library Genesis is a furniture-like sculpture by carpenter Kryštof Kučera. Resembling a bookshelf, it holds the other art works in the exhibition. Together, they form a hybrid structure that generates its own internal semiotics.
Library Genesis takes place in the Rikhardinkatu Library, built in 1882. It is the first building in the Nordic countries designed specifically as a public library. Today, the historic library is profiled through art, housing an art lending service and a collection of more than 500 artist books. Library Genesis is on view at the base of the library’s distinctive spiral staircase, known as the “book tower.”
The exhibition is open during library hours from June 4 to July 31, 2026.
Join us for the opening on June 3 from 6–8 pm. at Rikhardinkatu 3! Heu Hsu will present a sound piece exploring the acoustics of the library hall. A limited edi...
Cost: Free
Categories: exhibitions
More information: https://api.hel.fi/linkedevents/v1/event/helsinki:agpigpsne4/
Source: Event information supplied by City of Helsinki Linked Events.
