From September 2nd to 5th, 2026, Marina Abramović brings Skin, Salt and Tears to AaltoSiilo in Oulu, Finland, as part of Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture. Created for Alvar Aalto’s former industrial silo, the exhibition brings new and unseen works into a dialogue with vulnerability, transformation and our relationship with the natural world.
Developed with Adam Lowe and Madrid-based Factum Arte, the exhibition turns Abramović’s own body into a lens for ecological change. Skin, salt, glass and electrostatic traces link intimate bodily experience with the shifting landscapes of the Baltic and northern Finland.
Curated and produced by Factum Arte, the project responds directly to AaltoSiilo’s industrial architecture, forging a close relationship between material, artwork and place.
Skin: the body as protection and vulnerability
Ten framed works draw on Abramović’s own skin, created through innovative printing techniques. The body’s outer layer becomes both physical surface and symbol of protection in the Arctic, where cold and the elements expose its fragility. The works also recall the myth of Marsyas, whose skin was stripped away after his musical contest with Apollo. Abramović transforms the ancient story into a stark reflection on vulnerability and the porous boundary between body and world.
Salt and glass tears: a Baltic in transformation
A cast salt sculpture of Abramović’s head responds to the Baltic Sea’s growing brackishness. Cracks formed as the sculpture cooled, becoming an integral part of its story, while its flesh-like pink hue draws salt back towards the human body.
Glass tears are divided between sorrow and hope. The first evoke Venice and its rising waters; the second belong to Oulu, where post-glacial rebound is lifting the land faster than sea levels rise. The two cities create a striking temporal counterpoint: Venice carries the warning of a threatened future, while Oulu offers a glimpse of environmental change moving in another direction.
The exhibition is accompanied by a screening of Seven Deaths of Maria Callas (2020), a 120-minute film in which Abramović recreates death scenes from seven operas performed by Maria Callas.
Marina Abramović: Skin, Salt and Tears at the AALTOSIILO, Oulu
