An oasis in the centre of Helsinki, Kaisaniemi Botanic Garden houses plants from every climate zone on the African continent. Within its glasshous-es the city falls away, the air thickens, and the distance between Helsinki and the equator quietly closes.

For Artfest 2026, Kaisaniemi hosts a group exhibition, Roots En Route, featuring four artists who will create a multi-sensory installation in dialogue with this special site — examining rootedness and displacement; asking what grows where it was planted and what survives the crossing. The plants that fill these glasshouses carry their own histories of movement and adaptation.

We have commissioned Camille Norment and vocalist Sofia Jernberg to create a soundscape for plants. We have also commissioned Toubab Holmes to create an olfactory experience, exploring the hidden journeys of plants through the extractive system of perfumery. Charmaine Watkiss’s beautiful drawing series Plant Warriors will make a temporary home among the greenhouse plants. Running from October 2026 through January 2027, the exhibition offers a long, unhurried encounter between art and the plant world.This is the festival’s most atmospheric venue, and one of its most unexpected. Set aside more time than you think you need. Walk slowly, sense carefully, and let yourself be immersed.