2 Steps Gallery

Final installation views from Breath of Trees 🌿 Below, the exhibition text by @fannilyytikainen Thank you to everyone who came through. See you soon with the next programming at 2 Steps Gallery. — there is no edge to nature. nature does not begin. there is no gate, no doorway, no clear line we cross, to finally say: now we are in nature. we have always been in it. the air between buildings is the same air moving through pine branches. grass breaks through concrete, birds build nests in traffic lights, roots travel quietly beneath sidewalks. we call the forest the cathedral, holy, silent, forgiving. but holiness is not a location. wearing the right clothes does not make us humble. standing among trees does not make us gentle. the earth does not purify us simply because we enter it. we have never left. perhaps the question is not whether nature cleanses us, perhaps the question is how we live knowing that we are always already inside it. what if purification is not escape but attention? what if it means preparing ourselves to belong, not only on mountain tops but in grocery stores, on buses, in crowded streets. to move through daily life as if every surface were soil, as if every breath were shared. maybe we just become children again, curious without performance, gentle without announcement, a child kneels to look at a flower. there is no edge, no entrance, no outside, only the continuous breathing world #2stepsgallery

Breath of Trees is a dialogue between hanji paper, image, illustration and sound. Hanji 한지 Hanji is traditional Korean paper, originally made by hand from the inner bark of the mulberry tree using time-intensive techniques passed down for centuries. The word hanji itself simply means “Korean paper” (han meaning Korea, ji meaning paper). Valued for its strength, breathability, and durability, it has historically been used in writing, art, architecture, and everyday objects. Today, hanji is produced both through traditional handcraft and industrial processes. While machine-made versions are widely available, the term often refers more specifically to handmade paper in artistic and cultural contexts, where its material qualities and connection to nature remain central. Hanji is often compared to Japanese washi, which similarly translates as “Japanese paper” (wa meaning Japan, shi meaning paper). While both are made from plant fibers and share a long history of craftsmanship, hanji is typically known for its layered structure and exceptional durability, whereas washi is often associated with a finer, lighter surface. Both materials reflect deep cultural relationships to nature, material, and making. #2stepsgallery

Thank you to everyone who came to experience Breath of Trees. We are grateful for the conversations, the presence, and the shared moments🐦 #2stepsgallery

Breath of Trees open this weekend: Friday 12PM–6PM Saturday 12PM–6PM Sunday 12PM–5PM We warmly invite you to experience the exhibition in its final moments. Don’t miss the chance to listen to the immersive sound work by @irolng , unfolding within the exhibition. See you before it closes 🌿 #2stepsgallery

Opening tomorrow: Breath of Trees Tuesday, March 24, 5PM–9PM 2 Steps Gallery Eerikinkatu 48, Helsinki Images: Fanni Lyytikäinen preparing the exhibition in Finland and paper-making in Korea This exhibition is a dialogue between paper, image, illustration and sound. @fannilyytikainen drawings and @juhohut photography come together to explore the relationship between nature and culture through artistic collaboration. It is continuing the theme of human connection to the natural world explored in the exhibition To Walk Like a Child (@lokalhelsinki 2021). Breath of Trees also features a sound work by @irolng the artistic alias of Italian sound artist Anthony Arcana.

INVITATION: Welcome to the opening party of the exhibition Breath of Trees on Tuesday, March 24, 5–9 PM at @2stepsgallery , Eerikinkatu 48, Helsinki. This exhibition is a dialogue between paper, image, illustration and sound. Fanni Lyytikäinen’s drawings and Juho Huttunen’s photography come together to explore the relationship between nature and culture through artistic collaboration. It is continuing the theme of human connection to the natural world explored in the exhibition To Walk Like a Child (Lokal Gallery, Helsinki, 2021). Breath of Trees also features a sound work by Iron Lang, the artistic alias of Italian sound artist Anthony Arcana. Drawing from a background in sound design and electronic music production, Arcana’s practice focuses on minimal, deconstructed compositions that bridge the gap between bass music and experimental soundscapes. As Iron Lang, he leverages processed foley and field recordings to craft immersive textures, blending cinematic atmosphere with visceral, abrasive bass elements. The illustrations engage with traditional Korean hanji paper, a handmade material that exists somewhere between paper and textile. Across the paper, ink moves naturally, forming shapes that emerge intuitively and often evoke birds, bears and other living forms such as humans. Originally studying fashion, Lyytikäinen has shifted toward paper based working, where materiality, texture and pattern continues to shape the works. Juho Huttunen works with photography’s special relationship with the physical world, and the way that bond communicates reality and presence, attentive to natural light and subtle interactions. His images reveal the quiet rhythms and poetry of the surrounding world, observations that often remain unseen or unnoticed. Just as Lyytikäinen works intuitively with ink allowing forms to appear freely, Huttunen’s photography also embraces accidents and random events that lead to images. The works create space for personal interpretation and reflection, encouraging to consider what connection to nature means. Breath of Trees March 24 – March 31, 2026 2 Steps Gallery Eerikinkatu 48, Helsinki

Thank you to everyone who visited item mite emit time by @matleenahonkanen & @verovaltonen . Over the past 10 days, the exhibition invited us to experience time as something cyclical, layered, and entangled, where memory reveals itself through the quiet decay and transformation of matter. Stay tuned for future programming at 2 Steps Gallery. #2stepsgallery

Last chance to step into item mite emit time by @matleenahonkanen & @verovaltonen . We’re open today and tomorrow from 12PM to 6PM. Welcome! item mite emit time proposes an alternative way of registering memory through the inevitable decay of its surrounding matter, proposing the passing of time not as a linear concept but rather cyclical, layered and entangled. #2stepsgallery

item mite emit time Matleena Honkanen & Veronika Valtonen 3–12.10.2025 item mite emit time transforms the gallery space into a hazy realm of mixed media installations and performances, from sculpture and sound work to painting and video. The exhibition proposes an alternative way of registering memory through the inevitable decay of its surrounding matter, proposing the passing of time not as a linear concept but rather cyclical, layered and entangled. The opening invites three music acts from Helsinki and Berlin, ranging from experimental blends to ambient noise, followed by a film screening and poetry reading in the coming week. Opening 3.10.2025 17–20 Performances by Euro Loss (@euro_loss ) , Tiagsssss (@tiagsssss ) & vvverse (@verovaltonen ) Poetry reading and film screening 9.10.2025 18–20 Matleena Honkanen, Veronika Valtonen & Tiago H.G. Visiting hours Mon–Fri 16–20 Sat–Sun 12–18 2Steps Gallery Eerikinkatu 48D, Helsinki The space is not wheelchair accessible. Refreshments provided by Fat Lizard & Masis Brewery — item mite emit time Matleena Honkanen & Veronika Valtonen 3–12.10.2025 item mite emit time muuttaa galleriatilan utuiseksi maailmaksi, jossa moninaiset tekniikat kietoutuvat toisiinsa. Sisältäen veistoksia, äänitaidetta, maalauksia ja videoinstallaatioita, näyttely käsittelee muistin tallentumisen vaihtoehtoisia tapoja sitä ympäröivän materian väistämättömän rappeutumisen kautta, ja ajan kulkua lineaarisuuden sijaan syklisenä sekä kerroksellisena käsitteenä. Avajaisissa nähdään kolme kokeellista musiikkiesitystä Helsingistä ja Berliinistä, ja seuraavalla viikolla tilassa järjestetään luenta sekä lyhytelokuvanäytös. Avajaiset 3.10.2025 17–20 Esiintyjinä Euro Loss (@euro_loss ) , Tiagsssss (@tiagsssss ) & vvverse (@verovaltonen ) Luenta ja lyhytelokuvanäytös 9.10.2025 18–20 Matleena Honkanen, Veronika Valtonen & Tiago H.G. Aukioloajat ma–pe 16–20 la–su 12–18 2Steps Gallery Eerikinkatu 48D, Helsinki Tila ei ole esteetön. Virvokkeet tarjoaa Fat Lizard & Masis Brewery

Today is the final day to experience Doodle by @hannaanonen 🎨🖍️ We’re open 12PM–6PM. Come by if you haven’t yet! A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has visited so far 💛 Doodle is part of @helsinkidesignweek and proudly supported by @thefciny @genelec_oy @kakolabrewing and Huonekalusäätiö. #2stepsgallery #helsinkidesignweek

Open today from 12PM to 6PM🖍️🎨 Doodle by @hannaanonen celebrates the freedom of sketching, the joy of hands-on creation, and those moments when an idea is born alive, honest, and just as it is: noted down, unfinished, and sometimes a little messy. #2stepsgallery #helsinkidesignweek

Now open at 2 Steps Gallery daily 12PM to 6PM until September 12th is Doodle by @hannaanonen . Participating in @helsinkidesignweek , Doodle is an exhibition that highlights sketching and coloring – the stages of creative work that often remain unseen. The works come directly from sketchbooks: ideas, outlines, and visual notes hand-colored with a spontaneous touch and printed onto plywood. #2stepsgallery #helsinkidesignweek