Iso Galleria: Anni Saijonkivi – Exi(s)t

Anni Saijonkivi’s solo exhibition in Turku Exi(s)t explores the tension between the digital world and physical existence.
Visual artist Anni Saijonkivi’s solo exhibition Exi(s)t addresses humanity’s increasingly strained relationship with the ecosystem and questions the boundaries of our physical existence at a time when the ghosts of the digital world echo into our physical reality.

The exhibition’s title, Exi(s)t, plays with the words “exit” and “exist”. The exhibition space is built around a dialogue between physical, older plaster sculptures and dreamlike video projections of more recent works. The whole combines the static and the dynamic, the physically present in space, and the intangible expression that creates an illusion of space. This space of contrasts brings to light Saijonkivi’s 20-year creative process, during which they have moved from traditional sculpture toward digital dimensions.

As a distinguishing factor amid the current wave of artificial intelligence and pre-made models, Saijonkivi’s digital sculpture is strictly handcrafted. No artificial intelligence or pre-made model libraries were used for the works’ 3D models; instead, each form was modeled by hand, vertex by vertex. For example, the artist sculpted the virtual forms for “Spire,” the exhibition’s newest video work, years in advance, until they found their final form and place in 2026.

“My technique, with its emphasis on the digital, reflects a general trend of moving away from physical existence toward the direct transfer of thoughts and ideas to the conceptual level—the digital dimension. However, humans still inevitably exist as flesh-and-blood, breathing bodies. ‘How can we exist and hold on to ourselves in this era?’ Saijonkivi ponders.

Although techniques have evolved from plaster and clay to 3D modeling and game engines, the same open-ended questions about humanity and the environment underlie the works.

“An artist’s job is to imagine things that do not yet exist,” Saijonkivi summarizes.

About the Artist
Anni Saijonkivi (Visual Artist YAMK/ Master of Culture and Arts) is a visual and media artist based in Turku who graduated in 2015. They have ten years of educational background in the arts. Saijonkivi’s practice involves ongoing research into material techniques, in which even intangible forms of expression retain a strong haptic and bodily, sculptural way of thinking.

Welcome to the exhibition opening on Thursday, November 5, 2026, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Iso Galleria. Free entry!