Tania Candiani

Subterra: Abyssal is a sculptural and audiovisual installation that imagines life forms at the edges of the recognizable. In a vaulted room symmetrical to Roots, sixteen unique blown-glass sculptures are presented, mounted on metal structures. Made from earth-derived materials such as silica and feldspar, the pieces evoke protozoan organisms or speculative multicellular beings—creatures suspended between the organic and the fictitious.

A constant interior lighting activates the sculptures, casting colored reflections onto the vaulted architecture. Although the light does not pulse, its projections tint the space with hues that suggest presence and latency. The resulting environment evokes an imaginary biology—strange, yet plausible.

At the far end of the space, a circular video displays real footage of living corals underwater. Their slow movements—waves, openings, contractions—eerily resemble the forms of the glass sculptures, creating the impression that they have come to life. This correspondence reveals a porous boundary between the speculative and the biological.

Commissioned by the Helsinki Biennial.

Curated by Blanca de la Torre and Kati Kivinen