The FLASH Light Art Biennale Veiled Light will take place in Oulu from November 7 to 22, 2026.
The FLASH Seminar will be held on Friday, November 20, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Tarkastamo event space. Admission to both the biennale and the seminar is free.
The Finnish Light Art Society FLASH brings a high-quality selection of domestic light art to Oulu’s anniversary year. The society’s fifth light art biennale showcases the diversity of contemporary Finnish light art through the work of both established artists and emerging talents. Aalto Siilo, Galleria MABD, Pikisaari, and the façade of the Saari Central Library will be transformed into immersive exhibition environments where light serves as a material, a theme, and an experiential interface.
The 2026 biennale is curated by Finnish-Karelian curator and multidisciplinary artist Oskari Kaarne. Built around the theme Veiled Light, the exhibition explores the cycle of light and darkness from a Nordic perspective. In the exhibition, the interface between light and the dark season manifests as a spiritual experience or an in-between state that enables a different way of seeing.
As the darkness of November settles over the natural world, we may find ourselves drifting into a dreamlike state of mind. In Baltic-Finnish traditions, this period is described as a pivotal juncture in the cycle of life and death, light and darkness, —a time between times — to which human experience is also bound through various symbolic gestures and rituals, explains curator Kaarne. In this liminal space, the visible and the invisible, the finite and the infinite, and the past, present, and future flow into one another, potentially bringing to the surface aspects of our experience that often remain hidden from our conscious minds —our own inner glow, Kaarne notes.
The biennial comprises a diverse array of works spread across unexpected indoor and outdoor locations throughout the city. One of the venues is Aalto Siilo in the Meri-Toppila district of Oulu, a structure designed by Alvar and Aino Aalto. This cultural heritage landmark, which embodies a bold aesthetic vision, has been restored and transformed into a public space through the efforts of the Factum Foundation and the architectural studio Skene Catling de la Peña. Set to open to the public soon, the revitalized space offers a unique setting for showcasing light art.
Other exhibition sites include the nature trail on Pikisaari Island —transformed into an immersive Art of Darkness -light art trail —as well as Galleria MABD in the city center and the façade of the Saari Central Library.
The biennale´s artists are:
Kari Alonen
Siri Haapanen
Mollu Heino
Johanna Häiväoja
Timo Kokko
Anni Laukka
Arttu Nieminen
Jaakko Niemelä
Ilkka Paloniemi
Anu Raatikainen
Alexander Reichstein
Vappu Rossi
Alexander Salvesen
Alongside the exhibitions, the Biennial programme includes the FLASH Seminar: Light Art in Urban Darkness. The seminar explores the experience, use, and ownership of urban darkness from multiple perspectivesand examines how light art can shape and enliven the city at night. Discussions will also address the relationship between light art and the cultural identity of place, as well as the differing roles of permanent publicartworks and temporary light installations in urban environments.
The seminar is free and open to the public. The main language of the event is English, and participation is possible both on-site and via live stream.
The FLASH Light Art Biennial is supported by Oulu European Capital of Culture 2026, Art of Darkness as Cultural Heritage of Urban Landscape (Horizon Europe GA101177779), the TIFTÖ Foundation, the ArtsPromotion Centre (Taike), and the LUMO Light Festival.
The seminar is part of the official Oulu European Capital of Culture 2026 program Light/Dark Matters, organised by FLASH, and part of the European research project Art of Darkness as Cultural Heritage of Urban Landscape, administered by the University of Oulu. The project is coordinated by the Department of Architecture at the University of Oulu and funded by Horizon Europe – Innovation Action (GA no. 101177779).
