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A century-old farmhouse comes to life: The site-specific art exhibition The Hidden Spots opens in July
Published: 26.6.2026
A site-specific exhibition by the artist duo Bekim Hasaji and Valentina Gelaini invites visitors to explore the layers of memory and time held within an old farmhouse. The exhibition will be on display in Ylimarkku (Övermark) from 4 July to 2 August 2026 as part of Vaasa Museums’ regional art museum activities.
The Hidden Spots is a site-specific art exhibition created in an unoccupied, 100-year-old farmhouse in the village of Ylimarkku (Övermark). It encourages visitors to interact with their environment. The works guide visitors to seek out forgotten and hidden details, and to reflect on the traces of time within the space.
The exhibition is based on research by Bekim Hasaji and Valentina Gelaini into abandoned places and memory. The international duo, based in Ostrobothnia, have collaborated as the Black Box Genesis collective since 2018 and as an artist duo since 2023. The duo worked at the same site last summer, and the project has now expanded into a month-long exhibition. Hasaji and Gelaini have created new works and narratives in collaboration with sound artist Stefan Backas.
The exhibition is part of the interdisciplinary project What is Left in the Temple of Memory, which explores the relationship between time, space, and memory in abandoned environments. Hasaji and Gelaini work across disciplines, including installation, video, sculpture, and poetry. Their work explores memory, embodied experience, and the human relationship with the environment. At present, they are working on a project that promotes contemporary art and public art in rural areas.
Part of Vaasa Museums’ regional art museum activities
The exhibition is produced as part of the regional art museum activities of Vaasa Museums. As the designated museum with regional responsibility for Ostrobothnia, Vaasa Museums promote art and cultural heritage in the region, and develop ways of presenting them.
The Hidden Spots will be on display from 4 July to 2 August 2026 at Dermossvägen 20, 64610 Ylimarkku. The artists will be present during the exhibition’s opening hours, from Wednesday to Thursday 12–17 and from Friday to Sunday 12–18. The official opening will take place on Friday 3 July from 17 to 20. The programme includes music and refreshments, and the artists will also be present.
The project has been supported by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland, the Svensk-Österbottniska Samfundet, the Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland, the Finnish Heritage Agency, and the Finnish Cultural Foundation. The artists would like to thank the owners of the farmhouse, Roger Palmroos and Camilla Ågren, for their cooperation.