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Acts of Care Exhibition 1: Maija Tammi “Octomom”
Kana Kawanishi Photography
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Maija Tammi
KANA KAWANISHI ART OFFICE LLC. is pleased to present the exhibition Acts of Care, which will take place in three phases from February 22 (Saturday) to April 26 (Saturday), 2025, at KANA KAWANISHI PHOTOGRAPHY in Nishi-Azabu and KANA KAWANISHI GALLERY in Kiyosumi-Shirakawa.
This exhibition is based on the show curated by Kati Kivinen (Head of Exhibitions, HAM Helsinki Art Museum) and Pirkko Siitari (Independent Curator, former Head of Exhibitions, HAM Helsinki Art Museum, former Director and Chief Curator for Collections, Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma) for the Finnish Pavilion at the 15th Gwangju Biennale. The Japan edition will feature new site-specific installations by selected artists.
The curators, Kivinen and Siitari, pointed out how “Caring also involves the ability to feel affection” and quoted the Polish author Olga Tokarczuk at the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature ceremony on the role of the writer as a tender narrator in the following way:
“Tenderness is the most modest form of love. It is the kind of love that does not appear in the scriptures or the gospels, no one swears by it, and no one cites it. It has no special emblems or symbols, nor does it lead to crime or prompt envy. It appears wherever we take a close and careful look at another being, at something that is not our ‘self.’
Tenderness is spontaneous and disinterested; it goes far beyond empathetic fellow feeling. Instead, it is the conscious, though perhaps slightly melancholy, common sharing of fate.
Tenderness is deep emotional concern about another being, its fragility, its unique nature, and its lack of immunity to suffering and the effects of time.
Tenderness perceives the bonds that connect us, the similarities and sameness between us. It is a way of looking that shows the world as being alive, living, interconnected, cooperating with, and codependent on itself.
Similarly, the artists of Acts of Care take on the role of creators of tender narratives connected to care. Through their stories, they invite us to join them in empathy and the conditions emerging from it that shape the emotional landscape of our lives. Underlying it all are acts and gestures of care, often quite imperceptible, but of paramount importance: touch, eye contact, tone of voice, and support.”
(Excerpt from the release text of “Acts of Care” at the 15th Gwangju Biennale Finnish Pavilion)
Finland has the oldest population among Nordic nations and holds the sixth-highest aging rate globally at 23.58% in 2023. Despite this, it has topped the United Nations World Happiness Report for seven straight years since 2018. Conversely, Japan has the second-highest aging rate worldwide at 29.3% in 2024 and typically ranks near the bottom in happiness, landing 51st in the UN report for 2024. This illustrates a significant difference in how aging societies pursue happiness.
The mutual care between children and parents, where they fulfill their roles within their community and share their lives, is a universal phenomenon among all living beings. In our current society, where the demand for care is rising due to severe climate challenges and political unrest, how will the realities we face connect with artistic endeavors that inspire our imagination?
Through this exhibition, which has evolved from its presentation in Gwangju to Tokyo, we invite you to experience the diverse expressions of Finland-based artists—tender narrators—as they reweave their narratives in a new cultural context.
As the first Acts of Care exhibition, KANA KAWANISHI PHOTOGRAPHY will present Maija Tammi’s solo exhibition “Octomom” starting February 22, 2025.
Maija Tammi (b. 1985) is a Finnish artist and Doctor of Arts, whose practice is characterized by the desire to find the underlying cause of things. She often collaborates with scientists and other artists to create artworks that confront, surprise and provoke feelings. This is Tammi’s second solo exhibition at our gallery, the first one was “White Rabbit Fever” in 2017.
“Octomom” is an installation that consists of three elements: an audio story, a video projected onto sand, and a portrait of a mother with her new-born. The work revolves around a deep-sea octopus whom the scientists named “Octomom”. Octomom brooded her eggs in the depth of 1397 meters for 53 months (4 years and 7 months), which is the world record for the longest brooding period.
First shown in a solo exhibition at the Finnish Museum of Photography (2023), followed by a solo exhibition at the Turku Art Museum (2024) and presentation in the Finnish Pavilion at the Gwangju Biennale (2024), we cordially invite all to Maija Tammi’s installation Octomom now being presented in Japan for the first time.
This exhibition is based on the show curated by Kati Kivinen (Head of Exhibitions, HAM Helsinki Art Museum) and Pirkko Siitari (Independent Curator, former Head of Exhibitions, HAM Helsinki Art Museum, former Director and Chief Curator for Collections, Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma) for the Finnish Pavilion at the 15th Gwangju Biennale. The Japan edition will feature new site-specific installations by selected artists.
The curators, Kivinen and Siitari, pointed out how “Caring also involves the ability to feel affection” and quoted the Polish author Olga Tokarczuk at the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature ceremony on the role of the writer as a tender narrator in the following way:
“Tenderness is the most modest form of love. It is the kind of love that does not appear in the scriptures or the gospels, no one swears by it, and no one cites it. It has no special emblems or symbols, nor does it lead to crime or prompt envy. It appears wherever we take a close and careful look at another being, at something that is not our ‘self.’
Tenderness is spontaneous and disinterested; it goes far beyond empathetic fellow feeling. Instead, it is the conscious, though perhaps slightly melancholy, common sharing of fate.
Tenderness is deep emotional concern about another being, its fragility, its unique nature, and its lack of immunity to suffering and the effects of time.
Tenderness perceives the bonds that connect us, the similarities and sameness between us. It is a way of looking that shows the world as being alive, living, interconnected, cooperating with, and codependent on itself.
Similarly, the artists of Acts of Care take on the role of creators of tender narratives connected to care. Through their stories, they invite us to join them in empathy and the conditions emerging from it that shape the emotional landscape of our lives. Underlying it all are acts and gestures of care, often quite imperceptible, but of paramount importance: touch, eye contact, tone of voice, and support.”
(Excerpt from the release text of “Acts of Care” at the 15th Gwangju Biennale Finnish Pavilion)
Finland has the oldest population among Nordic nations and holds the sixth-highest aging rate globally at 23.58% in 2023. Despite this, it has topped the United Nations World Happiness Report for seven straight years since 2018. Conversely, Japan has the second-highest aging rate worldwide at 29.3% in 2024 and typically ranks near the bottom in happiness, landing 51st in the UN report for 2024. This illustrates a significant difference in how aging societies pursue happiness.
The mutual care between children and parents, where they fulfill their roles within their community and share their lives, is a universal phenomenon among all living beings. In our current society, where the demand for care is rising due to severe climate challenges and political unrest, how will the realities we face connect with artistic endeavors that inspire our imagination?
Through this exhibition, which has evolved from its presentation in Gwangju to Tokyo, we invite you to experience the diverse expressions of Finland-based artists—tender narrators—as they reweave their narratives in a new cultural context.
As the first Acts of Care exhibition, KANA KAWANISHI PHOTOGRAPHY will present Maija Tammi’s solo exhibition “Octomom” starting February 22, 2025.
Maija Tammi (b. 1985) is a Finnish artist and Doctor of Arts, whose practice is characterized by the desire to find the underlying cause of things. She often collaborates with scientists and other artists to create artworks that confront, surprise and provoke feelings. This is Tammi’s second solo exhibition at our gallery, the first one was “White Rabbit Fever” in 2017.
“Octomom” is an installation that consists of three elements: an audio story, a video projected onto sand, and a portrait of a mother with her new-born. The work revolves around a deep-sea octopus whom the scientists named “Octomom”. Octomom brooded her eggs in the depth of 1397 meters for 53 months (4 years and 7 months), which is the world record for the longest brooding period.
First shown in a solo exhibition at the Finnish Museum of Photography (2023), followed by a solo exhibition at the Turku Art Museum (2024) and presentation in the Finnish Pavilion at the Gwangju Biennale (2024), we cordially invite all to Maija Tammi’s installation Octomom now being presented in Japan for the first time.
Schedule | Feb 22 (Sat) 2025-Mar 29 (Sat) 2025 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Website | https://www.kanakawanishi.com/en-exhibition-054-acts-of-care | ||||
| Venue | Kana Kawanishi Photography http://www.kanakawanishi.com/ | ||||
| Location | 5F, 2-7-5 Nishiazabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0031 | ||||
| Access | 9 minute walk from exit 5 at Nogizaka Station on the Chiyoda line. 11 minute walk from exit A5 at Omotesando Station on the Ginza, Hanzomon and Chiyoda lines. 11 minute walk from exit 1a at Roppongi Station on the Hibiya or Toei Oedo line. | ||||
| Phone | 03-5843-9128 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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