Artist Jenna Sutela has been selected to exhibit in the Pavilion of Finland at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, in 2026. The exhibition is curated by Stefanie Hessler, Director of Swiss Institute (SI) in New York, and commissioned and produced by Frame Contemporary Art Finland.
In her work, Jenna Sutela explores biological and computational processes, from the human microbiome and planetary ecosystems to language and code. Her sculptures, installations, and sound pieces frequently include chance elements and evolving structures: they are both live and alive. Often working in dialogue with scientists, Sutela seeks to move beyond individualism and anthropocentrism to consider interrelationships at all scales.
The selection was made following an open call organised by Frame, which received 128 exhibition proposals. The jury consisted of Charles Esche, Director of the Van Abbemuseum, Asrin Haidari, Curator of the Moderna Museet, Anna-Riikka Hirvonen, Director of the Oulu Art Museum, and Artist Outi Pieski. Juha Huuskonen, the CEO of Frame and Commissioner of the Pavilion of Finland, chaired the jury.
The jury was impressed by Jenna Sutela and Stefanie Hessler’s exhibition proposal, which builds on their long-term artistic collaboration. They recognized Sutela’s distinctive and multidisciplinary practice, which explores the fluid boundaries between natural and technological systems. The jury also highlighted how Sutela and Hessler’s visionary practices engage with the social and environmental complexities shaping our existence. The jury expressed confidence that the duo will create a topical and artistically compelling exhibition for the Pavilion of Finland.
Artist
“I really appreciate the chance to present new work and to continue collaborating with Stefanie at the Venice Biennale. I’m particularly pleased to create an installation for the special pavilion by Alvar and Elissa Aalto,” Jenna Sutela says.
Jenna Sutela is a Finnish artist based in Berlin. Sutela’s work has been presented internationally, including at the Castello di Rivoli, Turin (2025); Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève (2024); Swiss Institute, New York (2023); Helsinki Biennale (2023); Haus der Kunst, Munich (2022); Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki (2022); Shanghai Biennial (2021); Liverpool Biennial (2021); Kunsthall Trondheim (2020); Serpentine Galleries, London (2019); and Moderna Museet, Stockholm (2019). Sutela has been a visiting artist at La Becque, MIT, and Callie’s Berlin.
Curator
Stefanie Hessler is a curator, writer, and the Director of Swiss Institute (SI) in New York. Her work centers artists and ideas through new commissions, transdisciplinary collaborations, and experimental formats, often focusing on ecologies, technologies, and their social intersections.
“I am thrilled to continue my collaboration with Jenna Sutela on the occasion of the Finnish Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale,” Stefanie Hessler says. “Jenna and I met in 2016 in Helsinki and have worked together on numerous occasions – most recently for her new commission Vermi-Sibyl (2023) as part of Spora at Swiss Institute. I look forward to curating her upcoming work, especially in the context of next year’s Biennale under the direction of Koyo Kouoh.”
Previously Hessler served as the Director of Kunsthall Trondheim in Norway. Her selected projects as an independent curator include the 17th Momenta Biennale: Sensing Nature, Montreal; Rising Tides/Down to Earth, Gropius Bau, Berlin; Joan Jonas: Moving Off the Land II, Ocean Space, Venice; the symposium Practices of Attention, 33rd Bienal de São Paulo; and the 6th Athens Biennale. Hessler is the author of Prospecting Ocean (MIT Press) and has edited over a dozen volumes.
Commissioner
The exhibition in the Aalto Pavilion of Finland is commissioned and produced by Frame Contemporary Art Finland. Frame, an advocate for Finnish contemporary art, supports international initiatives, facilitates professional partnerships, and encourages critical development of the field through grants, visitor programmes, residencies, seminars and talks, and exhibition collaborations.
The exhibition is supported by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture. The Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture is the main partner of the exhibition.
Press Inquiries
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Jenna Sutela (left) and Stefanie Hessler. Photo: Matteo de Mayda for Frame Contemporary Art Finland