Jani-Matti Salo: At Times – An Immersive Exploration of Light and Presence at EMMA
NEWS / 26.3.2026
Finnish artist Jani-Matti Salo is known for his immersive explorations of perception, using light, sound, and video to examine how technology and human interaction shape our experience of the world. His site-specific installations often engage directly with their surroundings, creating ephemeral yet profound moments that blur the boundaries between art and environment.
In his latest work, At Times—commissioned for EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art—Salo invites the museum audience into a meditative space where light and sound become tools for introspection. In the installation the light gradually intensifies and then suddenly fades—faster than the eye can adjust. The effect shifts the viewer’s focus from the external toward an internal experience. The work’s form echoes the window rows of the WeeGee building, entering into a conversation with the changing seasons, weather, and landscape visible through the glass.
A soundscape composed by Salo accompanies the visual experience, evolving in harmony with the wave-like movement of light. Together, these elements create an immersive environment that invites visitors to pause and reflect—a rare moment of stillness in a world defined by constant motion.
In Search of the Present
At Times is featured in EMMA’s newly opened exhibition In Search of the Present: On Rootlessness, which transforms the museum’s galleries into spaces of presence and concentration. The exhibition brings together large-scale installations and participatory, sensory works by leading contemporary artists, all exploring themes of belonging and rootlessness in today’s fast-paced world.
Curated to encourage mindfulness and engagement, In Search of the Present challenges visitors to pause, observe, and connect—whether with the art, the space, or their own thoughts. Salo’s contribution stands out as a poetic exploration of perception, where technology and nature converge to create a moment of stillness in an era defined by constant change.
The exhibition celebrates EMMA’s 20th anniversary year.
The title In Search of the Present refers to a collection of essays published in 1929 by Finnish author Olavi Paavolainen, in which he reflected on modern identity and experience in a rapidly changing world. Previous editions of the exhibition series were presented in 2016 and 2022.
Other artists featured in the exhibition are: Marina Abramović, Haruka Kashima, Kimsooja, Tarik Kiswanson, Germaine Kruip, Ken Matsubara, Lydia Ourahmane, Helen Pashgian, Danh Võ, WAUHAUS x TTK (Nurture), Ian Wilson and Maaria Wirkkala.
Read more about Jani-Matti Salo: www.janimattisalo.net
Read more about EMMA Espoo Museum of Modern Art: emmamuseum.fi/en
The work “At Times” was created on commission for the EMMA Collection.
Arts Management Helsinki has been an administrative collaborator of Jani-Matti Salo’s work.
Photo: Ari Karttunen / EMMA