PORTRAITS OF ROCKS

4. - 27.9.2026

At Helsinki Contemporary, Bulevardi 10, 00100 Helsinki, Finland

Ville Andersson’s new solo exhibition presents – as its title suggests – portraits of rocks. Every line has been carefully considered in this exquisitely executed series of drawings, inviting viewers to slow down and observe closely. Andersson himself describes the exhibition as his “acoustic album”: a return to the essentials – to pen and paper

.A technically versatile artist, Andersson is known for his minimalist visual language and his meticulous ink and pencil drawings, staged photographs, digital works, and paintings. Although he works fluently across a wide range of media, the aesthetic world he creates remains remarkably cohesive and instantly recognisable.

For many years, the Zen Buddhist concept of emptiness has been central to Andersson’s practice. In Zen, emptiness does not signify a lack, need or absence, but a way of understanding the interconnectedness and continual transformation of all things. In the history of art, portraiture has traditionally been reserved for depicting notable individuals. By creating portraits of stones, Andersson elevates the seemingly humble and overlooked, reminding us that all beings are inextricably connected within a larger web of relations.

The works in Portraits of Rocks draw inspiration from everyday observations: sticks and stones encountered on the street. Through drawing, Andersson transforms these modest subjects into universal forms and richly textured surfaces worthy of sustained attention. Alongside Japanese aesthetics and Zen philosophy, he draws inspiration from two artists whose work likewise engaged with nature and organic forms: the American designer Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988) and the Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi (1876–1957).

Executed on papers of varying tones, the drawings are quietly understated, yet never austere. Instead, they possess an earthy harmony. Portraits of Rocks recalls Andersson’s earlier exhibition Desert Music (2021), which explored the silence, vastness and blinding light of the desert. Here, however, the sublime is discovered at intimate range: the entire universe is glimpsed in a grain of sand. As Andersson sharpens his gaze, even the smallest of objects unfold into an experience of astonishing scale.

READ MORE ABOUT THE EXHIBITION - HELSINKI CONTEMPORARY GALLERY