The Hidden Spots

The Hidden Spots is an unconventional exhibition placed in an empty one-hundred-year-old house in the village of Övermark. The exhibition is centered on the research work around abandoned places and memories of the artist duo Bekim Hasaj and Valentina Gelain. The exhibition encourages visitors to explore the environment in order to discover hidden or forgotten stories. The house was frozen in time, with all the personal belongings of the family that has lived there since its construction. This has allowed the artists to interact with both the space and the items inside the house creating an interactive installation which embeds personal stories and memories.

Known for their multidisciplinary and site-specific art works, the artists reworked the spaces and materials by adding artistic elements that take shape, develop, and re-inhabit the century-old house. Small details placed in unusual corners of the house encourage the public to interact and explore the space in search of the “hidden spots”. The house is not just an exhibition space — it becomes the work of art itself.

The Hidden Spots is part of the interdisciplinary project ‘What is Left in the Temple of Memory’, which explores the concepts of time, memory and space in abandoned places. The exhibition was opened last year on the same premises. This year the artist duo will add more details and stories to complement the old ones. The exhibition will also feature word art, poetry, and sound art realized in collaboration with sound artist Stefan Backas.

The project has received support from the Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Svensk Österbottniska Samfundet, The Swedish Cultural Foundation In Finland, and the Finnish Cultural Foundation. The artists thank the homeowners Roger Palmroos and Camilla Ågren for their cooperation.

Bekim Hasaj (Bajram Curri, 1990) and Valentina Gelain (Feltre, 1992) are two international visual artists based in Ostrobothnia. They have been actively cooperating as Black Box Genesis since 2018, and as Artist Duo since 2023. The artists are currently exploring a multidisciplinary approach to research and practice, leading them to work with video, sculpture, installation, site-specific art, interactive art, poetry. The Shell Cracked (2024-2027), Translucid skins~strands~of~us (2024-2027) and What is Left in the Temple of Memory (2025-2027) are examples of ongoing interdisciplinary projects in which combine different disciplines through a collaborative approach with other experts in, for example, sound art and performative art.

More information: www.blackboxgenesis.com

Public opening ceremony

Warmly welcome to the public opening ceremony of The Hidden Spots exhibition on Friday 3^rd of July from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., address: Dermossvägen 20, 64610 Övermark