Entitled PLAY, the group exhibition is part of the European Capital of Culture programme and opens at the Pekuri shopping mall on 14 January. Through a multidisciplinary lens of 17 international artists, the exhibition explores play as both a source of joy and a distraction, highlighting moments of delight, resilience, rebellion and connection. Together, the works form a visual journey into play as a deeply human form of expression and a non-verbal language.

The exhibition is curated by Fotografiska Tallinn brand director Jorven Viilik.

The artists featured in the group exhibition are Martin Parr, Cristina de Middel, Susan Meiselas, Jouko Lehtola, Bruce Davidson, Roger Ballen, Nina Katchadourian, Sage Sohier, Trent Parke, Christopher Herwig, Karolina Wojtas, Niccolo Rastrelli, Joosep Kivimäe, Mathias Väärsi, Pelle Cass, Deanna Dikeman and Louis-Philippe Rondeau. Sound design for the exhibition has been composed by musician Erki Pärnoja.

Play, shaped by modern culture, has long been treated as a distraction, a passing stage of childhood, even a taboo in adult life. Yet beneath its lightness lies an ageless and powerful mindset that shapes how we engage with the world and connect with others.

Today play flourishes in digital arenas and extends into adulthood more than ever before. At the same time, other forms are already quietly fading from view: the embodied, face-to-face, the unscripted. These are forms that sustain trust and presence, reminding us of the value in what cannot be planned.

This exhibition seeks to reconnect us with unscripted play. To open a space where viewers might discover if or how it has survived in their lives and imagine how it might return in unexpected ways.

PLAY aims to reconnect us with unplanned play and open up a space where viewers can explore whether or how play has survived in their lives. It encourages visitors to imagine how play can come back into their lives in unexpected ways. The exhibition opens on the second floor of the Pekuri shopping mall on 14 January. Tickets, starting at €12, will be available from Lippu.fi sales channels from 1 December and from the venue from 14 January onwards.

The exhibition space and the Oulu2026 entrance hall are designed by PAVE Architects. Collaboration partners include Genelec, Saas Instruments and IP Heikkilä. The exhibition is co-produced between Fotografiska Tallinn and the Oulu Culture Foundation, the organisation in charge of the Oulu2026 project.

Fotografiska is the contemporary museum of photography, art & culture, founded in Stockholm in 2010. Beside Stockholm Fotografiska has locations in Tallinn, Berlin and Shanghai. Fotografiska Tallinn opened in 2019, being the first one outside of Stockholm. Fotografiska creates dynamic and unique exhibitions to inspire new perspectives and spark meaningful conversations through photography and contemporary art.