Exhibition
Sidepath Temptations- The Lure of the Blue
Dates
14 August – 15 October 2025
Location
Gallery GAo ShAn
Snellmaninkatu 15
00170 Helsinki
Finland
With this exhibition, Terhi Tolvanen turns a new page in her long-established practice. Renowned for wearable artworks that reimagine natural materials through the lens of jewelry, she now presents, for the first time, a series of wall and table pieces that do not require the body.
At the core of the show are six bonsai-inspired sculptures. These works reinterpret miniature trees as metaphors for controlled nature—each piece constructed from wood, metal, ceramics, and found materials. The motifs are familiar to Tolvanen’s followers; branches and tree-like forms have been part of her jewelry since 2004. Here, they appear as freestanding objects, grounded yet symbolic.
The Scarabaeus wall pieces reflect a similar shift. Inspired by beetles and peacock feathers collected at French flea markets, they are simultaneously entomological and abstract. Alongside them, the Imaginary Moths drawings invite the viewer into the artist’s studio process—delicate echoes of the sculptural forms.
This transition was made possible through collaboration with Luc Arbouin, a woodworker who introduced Tolvanen to reclaimed materials and traditional finishing techniques. Their dialogue supported the scale shift while preserving the artist’s distinctive touch.
Although these works are no longer jewelry, their structure, scale, and material sensibility remain rooted in the language Tolvanen has developed over decades. This exhibition expands that language into new formats while keeping its core intact.
