Magdalena Abakanowicz at HAM

I was really impressed by this exhibition

BACKS. 1976–80, burlap, resin. The Marta Magdalena Abakanowicz Kosmowska and Jan Kosmowski Foundation, Warsaw

You can read this text in Finnish from here

The exhibition by Magdalena Abakanowicz (1930–2017), one of Poland’s most internationally renowned artists, is on display at HAM Helsinki Art Museum until 30 August 2026. This is the artist’s first extensive solo exhibition in Finland.

As you walk up the stairs toward the upper-floor galleries, a massive rope guides you in, and the exhibition hall opens up before you.

ROPE (SINGLE). 1972, sculpture (jute rope, black jute fabric, red paint). MOCAK Collection, Gift of Teresa and Andrzej Starmach

In this exhibition, the height of the Tennispalatsi space—which can sometimes feel oversized—actually works. At first glance, the forest of artworks looks monumental, and the piece at the centre is titled Monumental Composition.

MONUMENTAL COMPOSITION.1973–75, sisal, linen, wool. The Museum of the Origins of the Polish State in Gniezno

The line between textile art and sculpture can be intriguing. Rarely, however, is it as compelling—or as masterfully handled—as it is with Abakanowicz.

YELLOW ABAKAN. 1970. sisal. National Museum in Poznań

The ropes, along with the textiles and installations—at times reminiscent of the great German contemporary artist Joseph Beuys (1921–1986)—are truly impressive.

Several shared themes emerge across the artists’ works, and although they operated on different sides of the Iron Curtain, the exhibition also brings a concrete connection to light.

In 1981, Joseph Beuys donated a significant part of his oeuvre—an archive called Polentransport—to the Museum of Art in Łódź (Muzeum Sztuki w Łodzi), Poland. This was a gesture of solidarity with Poland’s opposition movement at the time.

I have seen an exhibition of that archive once before. However, the presentation here is on a completely different level.

The exhibition is divided into two sections. At first, the groups of human figures in the second hall did not make as strong an impression as the first part, but the War Games series—along with works depicting trampled nature and the battlefields of the Masurian Lake District, featuring drone-like bird sculptures—brings this section to an uncomfortably topical level.

BIRD "LE". 1997, steel wire on an iron pedestal. The Marta Magdalena Abakanowicz Kosmowska and Jan Kosmowski Foundation, Warsaw

WALKING FIGURES. 1999. burlap, resin. CROWD. 1986–96, burlap, resin. The Marta Magdalena Abakanowicz Kosmowska and Jan Kosmowski Foundation, Warsaw

Highlights from the wall texts: main themes of the exhibition

1. Abakans – When textiles stepped off the walls

In the 1960s and 1970s, Abakanowicz revolutionised the art world with her large-scale works woven from sisal fibre, which came to be known as Abakans after her surname. These pieces broke the boundaries between traditional sculpture and textile art.

At HAM, the Abakans hang like a forest of textiles, following the artist’s original instructions. It is an experiential installation—an environment where the artworks converse with both the space and the viewer. The coarse, organic surfaces evoke hollow tree trunks, vascular systems, and protective skin alike. The curator of the exhibition is Eulalia Domanowska, Director of the State Gallery of Art in Sopot.

Jarosław Brzozowski & Kazimierz Mucha: ABAKANY. 1970. 35 mm film transferred to digital, colour, sound. Duration: 00:13:05 min. Language: Polish with English subtitles. WFO Film Studio, Łódź

2. Networks of rope

In the 1970s, thick jute ropes entered the picture. Abakanowicz used rope not only as a material but also as a spatial element, literally guiding the viewer’s path—sometimes even out of the gallery and into the cityscape. In her work, rope symbolises connections, nervous systems, plant roots, and the fragile balance between strength and vulnerability.

3. Crowds and shared memory

In the mid-1970s, the artist moved in a more figurative direction. Hardened jute burlap and resin gave birth to headless human figures stripped of individuality. The crowds sitting and standing in disciplined rows (such as the Backs series, last seen in Helsinki at the Ars 83 exhibition) touchingly depict the supremacy of the system and hopeless conformity—but also silent rebellion and fragility.

4. War Games

The latter part of the exhibition delves into the cycle of nature and humanity:

War Games: Created from felled tree trunks from the Masurian Lake District using an axe and a chainsaw, these works resemble wounded warriors or explosive war machines. For example, the giant Sroka (Magpie) balances on the borderline between destruction and rebirth.

Mutants: The four-legged, ancient-looking animal figures created from 1992 onward arouse curiosity and remind us that we share our basic structure with nature.

The artist’s story

Magdalena Abakanowicz at the loom, Warsaw, 1960s. Photo: © Jan Michalewski / The Marta Magdalena Abakanowicz Kosmowska and Jan Kosmowski Foundation Archives

According to HAM, Abakanowicz’s art is deeply rooted in her own life story. Born into an upper-class family in 1930, she had to flee her childhood home to escape the horrors of World War II. In post-war communist Poland, she also had to hide her background in order to study.

Working conditions were harsh and materials were scarce, but perseverance and collaboration with other artists eventually led to a breakthrough at the São Paulo Biennale in 1965.

The Weaving Club (HAM’s art workshop)

Operating alongside the exhibition, the Weaving Club is a communal space inspired by the art of Magdalena Abakanowicz. It features a room-sized weaving frame, yarns, and fibres, and is open daily for independent or guided activities.

***

Photos from the exhibition taken by the author on Tue, May 12, 2026

Museums webpage

5 museums in Helsinki