November 2027–Spring 2028

Hämeenlinna Art Museum’s Future NOW project will see the institution collaborate with three artist collectives: London-based Assemble, who run their own studio and take an often playful approach to developing the urban realm, Finnish collective I.C.W.D, whose practice is committed to finding adaptive solutions to the climate crisis and urban researchers and social innovators ZK/U-Berlin. During Future NOW, the collectives will focus on contemporary phenomena of their choice and develop artistic interventions designed to deliver a more sustainable future. Part of the Wihuri Foundation’s partner museum initiative, the project will run in 2026 and 2027.

“At Hämeenlinna Art Museum, we have decided to be bold and act on our dreams. We have extended an invitation to three award-winning international collectives, whose work we have admired for some time. It is extremely exciting for us that they have all chosen to join us for the Future NOW project”

Jenny Valli, Hämeenlinna Art museum director

The Future NOW project will see the collectives joining the working group for meetings in Finland. They will also visit all Kanta-Häme municipalities as part of a tour that will take place later this year and in 2027. The Kanta-Häme NOW tour kicks off on 3 June 2026 in Forssa and is scheduled to visit Hattula on 27 August and Hausjärvi on 28 August with more dates and locations to follow. A Future NOW exhibition will run in Hämeenlinna Art Museum’s Engel Building from November 2027 until spring 2028.

Future NOW Collectives:

Assemble

Assemble is a London-based organisation comprising architects, designers and craft practitioners that works across the visual arts. They design and make buildings, gardens, playgrounds, furniture, exhibitions and events.

Assemble uses design as a tool to respond to the environmental, social and economic challenges we face today. Their architectural projects explore carbon neutral and natural materials. The members believe that built examples along with critical reflection are the most effective means to have a positive impact. While their organisational structure has evolved over the years, they continue to work cooperatively, valuing debate and collaboration as a partnership.

“We develop business plans, project strategies and create organisations. We design, construct and manage workspaces. We also curate, teach, write books, publish research and lecture publicly. Each of these activities form an interconnected body of work.”

Some of Assemble’s recent initiatives include Play, a series of play spaces created in public settings. Their debut project, titled The Cineroleum, saw a disused petrol station turned into pop-up cinema.

More about Assemble: https://assemblestudio.co.uk/ 
@assembleofficial  

The Institute for Coping with Destruction  ( I.C.W.D)

The Institute for Coping with Destruction takes its cue from nature’s ingenuity and seeks sustainable pathways capable of supporting change. In their efforts, the members have chosen to turn to the sea to seek comfort, inspiration and to practice adaptation. The collective creates human encounters with people who spend their lives working in at-risk habitats, like coasts and other waterways. The Institute for Coping with Destruction is committed to finding ways to live with climate breakdown. The first step, they say, is to make less of everything and to acknowledge the unfolding destruction.

The Institute for Coping with Destruction comprises Heini Aho, Leena Kela and Eero Yli-Vakkuri. A visual artist, Heini Aho has in recent years worked on a series of public artworks. Leena Kela is a performance artist and curator, who recently completed a PhD in Fine Arts. Her practice is focused on the dynamic relationship between embodiment and materiality. Eero Yli-Vakkuri is a performance artist who seeks to expand the scope of the public realm.

More about I.C.W.D: https://tuho.org/ 
@tuho­­_org  

ZK/U-Berlin

ZK/U-Berlin is an independent art residency and production space for artists with an interest in the urban realm. It is run by the KUNSTrePUBLIK collective, comprising Matthias Einhoff, Philip Horst and Harry Sachs.

The collective is committed to deepening our understanding of urban dynamics. In pursuit of that aim, they work in several formats, including research, performance and neighbourhood initiatives. Their aim is to challenge established power structures by gaining access to them and destabilising them from within.

ZK/U-Berlin works at the junction of place-specific interventions and sustained artistic research, focusing its efforts on the point where urban dynamics, unexpected connections and artistic friction collide.

More about ZK/U-Berlin: www.zku-berlin.org 
@zku.berlin

Hämeenlinna art museum is Wihuri Foundation’s partner museum

Future NOW working group includes Jenny Valli who coordinates the project alongside curators Riikka Kuittinen and Soile Ollikainen and community manager Maria Hjelt.

Hämeenlinna Art Museum is delivering the Future NOW exhibition project with the support of the Wihuri Foundation’s partner museums scheme. Future NOW forms part of a programme marking the museum’s 75th anniversary in 2027.