Artists from the University of Lapland participate in a charity exhibition The Map of Pain

Artists from the University of Lapland participate in The Map of Pain, a charity exhibition curated and produced by Lola Cervantes and Maria Huhmarniemi, both of whom work at the Faculty of Art and Design. The artworks in the exhibition are for sale, and the proceeds will be donated to support children in Gaza through UNICEF Finland. The exhibition is on display in Rovaniemi Theatre from 14 January to 21 March 2026.

The Map of Pain is an activist exhibition that addresses the preservation of cultural identity in a hostile world and presents artists’ perspectives on ongoing wars, oppression, occupation, and human suffering. Central themes of the exhibition include human dignity, resistance, and hope.

The exhibition’s curator, Lola Cervantes, explains that the project emerged last spring amid the distress caused by news of war.

 – The news was overwhelming, and many of us began to ask what we, as artists, could do, Cervantes says.

The artworks invite viewers to see those who are oppressed, to feel, and to act. They offer a northern perspective on global events and remind us that solidarity knows no borders. 

The exhibition features many members of staff and alumni from the University of Lapland. One of the participating artists is Niillas Holmberg, a versatile, multidisciplinary Sámi contemporary artist of the younger generation, who holds an honorary doctorate. Based in Utsjoki, his home region, Holmberg is known as a poet, writer, screenwriter, musician, and activist.

Suvi Autio, Lola Cervantes, Laura Haapasalo, Mirja Hiltunen, Maria Huhmarniemi, and Ante Jalvela are artists in the exhibition who work at the Faculty of Art and Design.

– Our artistic and research work also focuses on participation in societal dialogue and on promoting social peace through intercultural collaboration, says Maria Huhmarniemi.

A shared northern context connects the artists in the exhibition: nearly all of them live or work in Northern Finland, including Lada Suomenrinne, Arttu Nieminen, Tanja Koistinen, Miia Mäkinen, Raisa Raekallio, Misha del Val, and Tommi Yläjoki.

Among the artists from Southern Finland, Tiina Pusa works at Aalto University and participates through the close collaboration between the University of Lapland and Aalto University. Pusa presents in the exhibition a selection from the series Victims of Radicalization, which addresses the events of the Finnish Civil War in 1918. Another artist from Southern Finland is Pauliina Turakka Purhonen, who has an extensive network of artist colleagues in the North.

According to Miikka Keränen, Executive Director of Rovaniemi Theatre, the theme of the exhibition is particularly well suited to the theatre’s premises at this moment, as the musical Fiddler on the Roof is running in the repertoire at the same time.

– The classic work addresses the pain that arises when one culture becomes violent toward another over the ownership of Land. Yet as a spark of hope, it also highlights polyphonic, boundary-crossing love and understanding that transcend divisions between groups of people, Keränen says.

The artworks in the exhibition are for sale, and the proceeds will be donated to support children in Gaza through UNICEF Finland. Through the donation, the aim is to offer concrete support to people living amid destruction, through art.

The Map of Pain exhibition and opening reception

The Map of Pain exhibition will be on display in the lower foyer of Rovaniemi Theatre and on the Lapland Artists’ Association’s rotating exhibition wall located in the same space from 14 January to 21 March 2026.

Opening reception: Tuesday, 13 January, 5:00–6:30 pm. The opening programme will include musical performances by Jaakko Laitinen and Minna Siitonen, as well as Ante Jalvela. There will be no catering at the opening event.  Welcome!

Further information

Associate professor Maria Huhmarniemi, 040 7639948

Coordinator Lola Cervantes, 040 3236768