Mika Vainio sound art retrospective running until January at Helsinki museum
Curated by Kati Kivinen and Rikke Lundgreen, 50 Hz is the first comprehensive retrospective featuring Vainio’s sound art, which he made alongside his renowned musical output from the ’90s until his untimely death in 2017. These compositions were made to be presented in galleries and museums, or as part of audiovisual pieces, and often featured field recordings or “found noises” that Vainio collected in urban environments. The show opened on August 20th.
Among the works are 2 540 kHz, featuring six old tube radios; 808, in which a TR-808 sitting on a velvet rug has a composition programmed into it that Vainio has never saved, written or performed elsewhere; and Onko, Vainio’s first contemporary art piece from 1996. The exhibition also features several research articles, including one by Vainio’s long-time collaborator and Sähkö label head Tommi Grönlund.
For more on Vainio’s life and work, revisit our Remembering Mika Vainio piece from 2017.
More information on the Vainio exhibition is available at the museum website.
