The dawn is red when the dew coagulates. The Free Standing Joys
Curated by Patrik Nyberg and Pïïa Oksanen
Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma
11 October 2024 – 23 February 2025

French artist Pauline Curnier Jardin’s exhibition transforms Kiasma’s exhibition space into a grotesque theme park. The film works that await us in its depths offer glimpses into the fate of women and others marginalised in various ways in “entertainment” and as objects of power.

The films in the exhibition deal with gender norms, power and violence, for example, through historical events, the carnality associated with the Catholic Faith, and the experience industry with its emphasis on romance. They show the power relations in society in a garish, sometimes comical, light. The female body is presented as object of power, but women also subvert and wield power.

Pauline Curnier Jardin, Tunnel of Love, 2024; Installation view of The dawn is red when the dew coagulates. The Free Standing Joys, curated by Piia Oksanen and Patrik Nyberg, Kiasma, Helsinki, 2024

Pauline Curnier Jardin, Luna Kino, 2022; Wood, acrylic paint, acrylic A, EPDM, styrofoam, LED lights, concrete, lycra fabric, found objects, P.U foam, video projection of holographic fabric; Variable dimensions;  Installation view of The dawn is red when the dew coagulates. The Free Standing Joys, curated by Piia Oksanen and Patrik Nyberg, Kiasma, Helsinki, 2024

Pauline Curnier Jardin, Le Tombeau, 2022; Installation view of The dawn is red when the dew coagulates. The Free Standing Joys, curated by Piia Oksanen and Patrik Nyberg, Kiasma, Helsinki, 2024

Photo by Finnish National Gallery / Petri VIrtanen