Saastamoinen Keynote in Arts: Tarek Atoui
Sound artist and composer Tarek Atoui will give a lecture about improvisation on 17 September 2025 at Dance House Helsinki.
In his keynote lecture, Atoui will provide a broad overview of improvisation – not only as spontaneous performance but as a method that shapes his approach to composition, instrument building, and exhibition-making. According to Atoui, improvisation is a collective, open-ended process that evolves over time and in relation to others: musicians, audiences, communities, and even institutions.
In his lecture, he will explore how this way of thinking is reflected in his performances and participatory projects such as Within and The Ground, in which instruments are not fixed tools but evolving interfaces often developed in collaboration with others, including deaf and hard-of-hearing participants.
Extending this notion into the curatorial and spatial realm, Atoui will also speak about his recent exhibition at Pirelli Hangar Bicocca in Milan. There, improvisation is not confined to the moment of performance; it becomes a methodology for constructing the exhibition itself. Works are activated over time, the installation responds to changes in acoustic and social context, and visitors are invited to experience the exhibition as an unfolding, participatory process. The show functions less as a static display and more as a living score – one that embraces chance, adaptation, and continuous becoming.
Through a combination of sound excerpts, visual documentation, and personal insights, Atoui will share how improvisation underpins his artistic vision – not only in how sound is made and performed, but in how spaces are inhabited, how exhibitions are lived, and how art invites new modes of sensing and being together.
About the artist
Lebanese-born Tarek Atoui (b. 1980) is an internationally renowned sound artist and composer whose experimental work redefines the role of sound in contemporary art. Currently, his exhibition Improvisation in 10 Days is on view in Milan, Italy, in Pirelli HangarBicocca. He has held exhibitions at numerous prominent institutions, including TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary in Madrid (2025), Tate Modern in London (2016) and Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris (2014 and 2015). His notable group exhibitions include the Venice Biennale in 2019 and documenta in 2021. His works are included in prestigious collections such as: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York), Pinault Collection (Paris), Tate Modern (London) and LUMA Foundation (Zurich).
Saastamoinen Keynote Series
The visit to Helsinki is part of a programme launched by Saastamoinen Foundation and the Academy of Fine Arts in 2015 to promote international dialogue and opportunities for young artists in the visual arts field in Finland. The Saastamoinen Foundation Keynote in Arts lecture is held annually, inviting internationally significant and pioneering figures to Finland. In addition to the lecture, Atoui will meet students, alumni, and members of the Finnish art scene during his visit.
In his keynote lecture, Atoui will provide a broad overview of improvisation – not only as spontaneous performance but as a method that shapes his approach to composition, instrument building, and exhibition-making. According to Atoui, improvisation is a collective, open-ended process that evolves over time and in relation to others: musicians, audiences, communities, and even institutions.
In his lecture, he will explore how this way of thinking is reflected in his performances and participatory projects such as Within and The Ground, in which instruments are not fixed tools but evolving interfaces often developed in collaboration with others, including deaf and hard-of-hearing participants.
Extending this notion into the curatorial and spatial realm, Atoui will also speak about his recent exhibition at Pirelli Hangar Bicocca in Milan. There, improvisation is not confined to the moment of performance; it becomes a methodology for constructing the exhibition itself. Works are activated over time, the installation responds to changes in acoustic and social context, and visitors are invited to experience the exhibition as an unfolding, participatory process. The show functions less as a static display and more as a living score – one that embraces chance, adaptation, and continuous becoming.
Through a combination of sound excerpts, visual documentation, and personal insights, Atoui will share how improvisation underpins his artistic vision – not only in how sound is made and performed, but in how spaces are inhabited, how exhibitions are lived, and how art invites new modes of sensing and being together.
About the artist
Lebanese-born Tarek Atoui (b. 1980) is an internationally renowned sound artist and composer whose experimental work redefines the role of sound in contemporary art. Currently, his exhibition Improvisation in 10 Days is on view in Milan, Italy, in Pirelli HangarBicocca. He has held exhibitions at numerous prominent institutions, including TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary in Madrid (2025), Tate Modern in London (2016) and Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris (2014 and 2015). His notable group exhibitions include the Venice Biennale in 2019 and documenta in 2021. His works are included in prestigious collections such as: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York), Pinault Collection (Paris), Tate Modern (London) and LUMA Foundation (Zurich).
Saastamoinen Keynote Series
The visit to Helsinki is part of a programme launched by Saastamoinen Foundation and the Academy of Fine Arts in 2015 to promote international dialogue and opportunities for young artists in the visual arts field in Finland. The Saastamoinen Foundation Keynote in Arts lecture is held annually, inviting internationally significant and pioneering figures to Finland. In addition to the lecture, Atoui will meet students, alumni, and members of the Finnish art scene during his visit.