Amuse

Amuse is a collaboration between two sculptors, exploring what play may mean for them. The exhibition takes shape through material, spatial and functional means and actions. The result is an ongoing negotiation of thoughts, feelings and ideas, present in sculptural form at Hobusepea Gallery. For the exhibition, Petra works with a large hand-bent metal structure inspired by play settings, from board and arcade games to outdoor play. She explores movement, trajectories, loops, and schematic representations of play, allowing these elements to shape the work’s rhythm and material presence in the space. By using everyday materials and objects, Tuomas builds sculptural systems and collages. In addition to conversing with the site and Petra’s practice, things such as consumption, joy and restlessness were considered while making. The exhibition is supported by Alfred Kordelin foundation and Greta and Alfred Runeberg foundation. Petra Vehviläinen is a visual artist based in Helsinki who works with sculptural installations, drawing on traditional craft techniques such as forging, blacksmithing, metal casting, and weaving. Her practice often features works in which discarded or found objects and materials form spatial weaves. The works explore themes rooted in posthumanist and new materialist thought, emphasizing the active role of matter, materials, and space in these processes. Vehviläinen’s works have been presented not only in gallery settings but also site-specifically in urban and natural locations, both in Finland and abroad. She holds a MFA in Sculpture (2024) and a MA in Directing (2013) from the University of the Arts Helsinki. Her projects have been supported by the Alfred Kordelin Foundation, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Arts Promotion Centre Finland, and the Kone Foundation. In 2024, she was awarded the Grönqvist Scholarship by the Hélène and Walter Grönqvist Foundation to support her artistic work. www.petravehvilainen.com IG: @petralottiemilia Tuomas Lehtomaa works with sculpture and site-specific installation, exploring the relations of everyday materials, spaces and affect to the systems of producing meaning, knowledge and value. Lehtomaa holds an MFA in Sculpture from the Academy of Fine Arts Helsinki in 2024 and has exhibited in various solo and group exhibitions, most recently at Galerie FavU (Czech Republic, Brno), Titanik Gallery (Finland, Turku), Kuva/Tila (Finland, Helsinki), Neuer Kunstverein Wien (Austria, Vienna) and 101 Project Space (Germany, Berlin). www.tuomaslehtomaa.net