The exhibition was officially opened with a vernissage on 20 February. The opening was led by Anne-Mari Jussila, Deputy Mayor of Tampere for Education and Culture; Gabriela Jáčová, Consul of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Helsinki; Tero Luoma, Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic in Tampere; Dušan Krištofík, Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to Finland; and Johana Kuncová‑Kallio, Chair of the Association of Czechs and Slovaks in Finland (Bohemia‑seura ry), together with all exhibiting artists.

The exhibition featured works by Czech photographer Antonín Halaš, painter Barbora Kachlíková, photographer Jana Macháčková‑Oey, oil painter Petr Řehoř and textile artist Jana Výborná‑Turunen. Slovakia was represented by Michal Czinege, whose work focuses on painting and artistic installation, and Alexandra Salmela, a writer. The diversity of media – painting, photography, artistic installations and textiles – highlighted both the thematic and formal richness of the exhibition. The curatorial concept was developed by Johana Kuncová‑Kallio, Lasse Kosunen and Alexandra Kollerová.

Presented works reflected life between multiple homelands and cultural environments. The artists explored the concept of home as a fluid, multilayered space shaped by the interplay of people, memories, places and lived experiences. The exhibition offered both personal and universal perspectives on the themes of identity, belonging and cultural overlaps that profoundly shape life abroad.

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Throughout the exhibition, a rich accompanying program was offered, appealing to a broad audience ranging from documentary film enthusiasts to families with children. In cooperation with Bohemia‑seura ry, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Helsinki organized two film screenings.

On 6 March, the documentary film I’m Not Everything I Want to Be by director Klára Tasovská was screened. The film captures the life and work of Libuše Jarcovjáková, a legend of Czech photography. The formally unique documentary gained international attention at the Berlinale and was nominated by Czechia for the 2026 Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category. Families with children enjoyed screenings of short films featuring the beloved Czech handymen Pat and Mat, held in the afternoon of 21 February in two blocks.

In addition to Czech film screenings, the accompanying program included four workshops, two screenings of Slovak films and a thematic discussion on Czech and Slovak literature and translation. The discussion featured writers Alexandra Salmela and Adriana Krištofíková, along with translators Susanna Räty and Mika Laaksonen. The exhibition concluded on 29 March with a concert of Czech songs with lyrics translated into Finnish.

The overall program was designed to present Czech and Slovak cultures in their full breadth and diversity, offering visitors multiple perspectives and ways to engage with them.

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The project was realized by the Association of Czechs and Slovaks in Finland (Bohemia‑seura ry) in cooperation with the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Helsinki, the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Helsinki, the City of Tampere and Axamitum Moments Oy, with the support of Rödl and Vafo Group.

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Photographer Antonín Halaš

Born in the 1956 in Prostějov, he developed an interest in cameras already in his teenage years. He studied photography at FAMU in Prague. After completing his studies, he moved to Finland in 1982, where he founded Studio Halas, focusing on commercial and editorial photography.

Painter Barbora Kachlíková

Born in 1988 in Vyškov, she studied at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Brno University of Technology, the Academy of Arts in Tartu, Estonia and at Lahti University of Fine Arts in Finland. She moved to Finland in 2016 and currently lives and works in the village of Ratula.

Photographer Jana Macháčková‑Oey

Born in Ostrava in 1982, she studied at Turku University of Applied Sciences and photography in Shanghai and Tampere. In Shanghai also her photographic journey began. During the six years she spent there, she started exploring the city through the lens of her camera. She has been living permanently in Finland since 2017.

Painter Petr Řehoř

Petr Řehoř was born in 1949 in Varnsdorf, studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. In 1974, he moved to Oulu. He currently lives in Espoo, where he creates oil paintings, he is a member of the Finnish Painters’ Association and of the Finnish Critics’ Association. Petr Řehoř is a laureate of the Gratias Agit Award for 2016, awarded by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic for contribution to spreading the good name of Czechia abroad.

Textile Artist Jana Výborná‑Turunen

Born in 1969 in Kolín, she moved to Finland in 1993 due to her husband’s work. She studied Andragogy at the Charles University in Prague. She studied at the University of Arts and Design in Helsinki and stayed to pursue her studies, career, and family life in Finland. Her artistic practice is based on materials such as textiles and wood and uses techniques including sewing and engraving. She is also actively involved in socially engaged art.

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