Images: Espoo Museum of Modern Art (EMMA)

Southnord Artfest 2026: Espoo Museum of Modern Art

Southnord partners with EMMA to activate Howard Smith’s legacy during the retrospective exhibition of his works. Artist Sasha Huber, designer Ervin Latimer and musician Grande Mahogany will fill the day with reflections, talks and performance. There will also be an ongoing collage workshop for children.  

Howard’s story — of an African American artist who found recognition in the Nordic north, who built a life and a body of work far from where he began — sits in natural conversation with the themes running through Artfest 2026. His retrospective is worth visiting on its own terms; the day of programming Southnord brings offers a way in. 

Date: 6 February 2027
Opening hours: 11:00 - 16:00

Venue:
Espoo Museum of Modern Art
Ahertajantie 5
02070 Espoo, Finland

Saturday 6 February

  • Sasha Huber has been commissioned by EMMA to create a portrait of Howard in her signature staple gun technique. She is a Helsinki-based internationally recognised visual artist-researcher of Swiss-Haitian heritage. Sasha’s work is concerned with the politics of memory, care and belonging in relation to colonial residues left in the environment. 

  • Grande Mahogany reflects the spirit of musical pioneers, breaking boundaries and conjuring a sound imbued with the pulsating vitality of funk, the gritty edge of Alt rock, and psychedelia. Born in Finland, he absorbed global rhythms early on, and his move to Manchester at the age of 11 deepened the complexity of his musical tapestry. With wah-wah pedals always in tow, Grande Mahogany weaves a swirling concoction of soulful rhythms, groovy melodies, and electrifying riffs. Now based in Helsinki, he and his dynamic live ensemble summon a tempest of sound, embodying the untamed zeal of funk's venerated pioneers. At EMMA he will offer a more intimate session, interacting with the exhibition. 

  • Ervin Latimer has been commissioned to create a new textile work in dialogue with Howard’s legacy. Ervin is Finnish fashion designer who founded that brand Latimmier in 2022 and also works as the Professor of Practice in Fashion Practice at the prestigious Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture. In an earlier project in collaboration with Vallila, Ervin created the first Vallila 2ndCycle collection, where he used iconic prints designed by Howard Smith to make functional garments inspired by the 1960’s and unisex workers’ uniforms.