In the exhibition, the familiar climber Thunbergia alata – known in Finnish gardens as mustasilmäsusanna – takes on a new, imaginative life. The flowers have grown tiny siblings: gently absurd little beings peeking out from between the petals, transforming an everyday plant into a whimsical character.
The exhibition’s ten mixed-media works on recycled plywood are tied together by play, curiosity, and inventive use of materials. Frames assembled from found objects reinforce the idea that the world can be viewed more lightly and more exuberantly, yet with greater sustainability. The exhibition invites visitors into the soil of imagination, where plants and thoughts are free to take root and grow.
Mikaela Leino (b. 1976) is a multidisciplinary visual artist and craftsperson whose expressive, playful paintings emerge from a dialogue between intuition, colour, and movement.
Mustasilmien puutarha is on view in the Gallery Corridor of the Kaisaniemi Glasshouses from 2 December 2025 to 1 February 2026.
Research groups, artists, photographers, authors, nature hobbyists and all other nature enthusiasts are invited to propose an exhibition for the exhibition spaces of the Natural History Museum and the Kaisaniemi and Kumpula Botanic Gardens.