z2o Sara Zanin is pleased to announce Bird of Fortune by Kaarina Kaikkonen at the Aine Art Museum in Tornio.
The border between Finland and Sweden has got a new public artwork when Aine Art Museum unveiled sculptor Kaarina Kaikkonen's work Bird of Fortune (2026) in the courtyard of the Rajakartano building on Saturday 29 August 2026.
The Aine Art Museum is actively acquiring new public art in Tornio. The earliest outdoor sculptures for the area were acquired in the 1990s and the latest acquisition is from 2024. The City of Tornio has developed the area during the renovations of the Rajakartano building and the outdoor area, when, among other things, a Sculpture Park was built on the West Bank. The Aine Art Museum, Tornio Valley Museum and Tornio Library, located on the border, are important meeting places, especially for children and young people.
The Bird of Fortune piece was inspired by the architecture of the Border House, designed by architect Matti Porkka and completed in 1985, and the building's significance as a meeting place for art and culture. In folklore, birds can signify happiness, and this interested artist Kaarina Kaikkonen. The white bird is also a symbol of peace. “For me, the bird is also a metaphor for free creative thinking, which is able to fly over all kinds of mental and physical boundaries and restrictions built by people. The white bird brings peace and well-being, it brings hope.” Kaarina Kaikkonen says.
According to Virpi Kanniainen, director of the Aineen Art Museum, the publication of the work continues the long-term work carried out in the Rajakartano area to develop and enrich the area as a cultural environment. “Public art makes our common environment more interesting, inviting and distinctive and strengthens the identity of the area. At the same time, it speaks of our desire to cherish our common cultural heritage and keep it alive with the help of new public art.” Kanniainen states.
Kaarina Kaikkonen | Bird of Fortune
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