LEANDRO ERLICH AT AMOS REX: ILLUSION, ARCHITECTURE AND PLAY

Amos Rex presents a major solo exhibition by Leandro Erlich (b. 1973, Buenos Aires)—his first in Finland and the Nordics. The internationally acclaimed artist’s works inhabit the boundary between reality and illusion. The exhibition will bring to Helsinki a selection of his most celebrated works, including a new Helsinki-inspired version of Bâtiment (2004/2025).

In his art, Erlich employs spatial illusions such as reflections and distortions of perspective, and architectural interventions to explore how the built environment shapes our sense of reality and how easily that sense can be unsettled.  The Amos Rex exhibition brings together ten works, including large-scale, participatory installations that engage in dialogue with local architecture and the surrounding cityscape. 

The journey begins with the dreamlike Cloud and continues through Sidewalk, Lost Garden and Elevator Maze culminating in a new version of the celebrated Bâtiment installation. This time, the work draws inspiration from an Art Nouveau apartment building in Helsinki’s Katajanokka district, transformed into a surreal playground. Here, people appear to float weightlessly and walk along walls—until, inevitably, the viewer too becomes part of the magic.  

“Leandro’s work is a journey into the limits of our perception and imagination. His illusions pull strongly on our emotions and our memories. Anyone can have a relationship with his work, but its effect is often profound. Thanks to the incredible work of Amos Rex’s talented craftspeople and technicians, the magic of Leandro’s work has never felt stronger than it does here,” says museum director Kieran Long.  

“A sense of wonder was my first reaction to Leandro Erlich’s work. A wonder of a special character as Erlich finds its elements in our everyday surroundings. Another quality that pervades Erlich’s work is its playfulness. That makes for a strong combination,” says curator Kai Kartio. 

Leandro Erlich is one of the most prominent installation artists of our time. His works have been shown at MoMA in New York, the Barbican Centre in London, the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, and the Venice Biennale, where he achieved international breakthrough in 2001 with Swimming Pool (1999). His public works have attracted millions of visitors worldwide. 

“I create structures that trigger images and ideas that, in turn, point towards new realities. I like to consider these pieces as relational devices that inspire interaction and play amongst the viewers. I understand art as a medium for cultivating new approaches to understanding the world—physical, mental, political, symbolic,” says Leandro Erlich. 

The exhibition is curated by Anastasia Isakova and Kai Kartio and will be on view from October 8, 2025 to April 6, 2026, at Amos Rex, Mannerheimintie 22–24, Helsinki FI-00100 (Finland).

*Cover image: Artist Leandro Erlich. Photo: Stella Ojala / Amos Rex.