Paimio Sanatorium hosts AIR featuring front-row contemporary artists from Finland as part of the Paimio Summer programme. The exhibition brings a breath of fresh artistic innovation to the unique site and its grounds.

AIR features a curated selection of works by some of the most influential artists in contemporary art today. The exhibition aims to create a dialogue between the sanatorium’s architectural heritage and nature. AIR invites viewers to stop and recharge with experiential and peaceful contemporary art.

Among the notable art at AIR are Josefina Nelimarkka’s experiential installation Atmospheric Un/knowing, set in the sanatorium’s famous pine forest, Tuomas A. Laitisen’s new installation Penelope, and Nastja Säde Rönkkö’s 6 Months without, which tells about the artist’s experiment of living without an internet connection for half a year. Other exhibiting artists are: Artor Jesus Inkerö, Toni Elg, Ola Kolehmainen, Andreas Behn-Eschenburg, Santtu Laine, Eeva Lietonen, Pekko Vasantola and Emilia Tanner.

”We live in a time where concentration is very difficult for the majority of people. A fragmented world has created a fragmented mind, which requires constant encouragement,” says Jari Saariaho, curator of AIR. “Our attention-seeking culture is a pandemic of its own.”

Paimio Sanatorium was designed as a medical instrument, a place to breathe.  “Now AIR combines the art of breathing and the architecture of breathing by slowing down the pace”, Saariaho continues.

AIR is open during the seasonal opening hours from June till September, Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 6pm.