OPEN CALL
6 May to 30 May
2027 PAJA Gallery
Kalasataman seripaja, Helsinki
We are offering five (5) two-month exhibition periods are available for the year 2027. The exhibition period includes installation and deinstallation.
Available time slots: January to February 2027 March to April 2027 April to May 2027 August to September 2027 October to November 2027
(No exhibition activity in June to July 2027)
PAJA Gallery is an exhibition space maintained by Kalasataman seripaja ry. The gallery is free for artists, we don’t charge rent or commission on sales. If needed, you can produce prints for your exhibition at the printmaking studio connected to the gallery. Using printmaking techniques is not required, you are welcome to apply with any medium.
Kalasataman screenprinting studio produces the exhibition posters. The gallery is responsible for distributing posters in the surrounding area, and the artist will receive copies for distribution in locations of their choice. PAJA Gallery is responsible for promoting the exhibition on social media.
The exhibition is open Monday to Friday 10:00 to 17:00, and Saturdays 12:00 to 17:00. On weekdays, a staff member working at the printmaking studio ensures visitor access to the gallery space. The artist is responsible for supervising the exhibition during one weekend. The exact weekend will be agreed upon between the artist and PAJA Gallery. If necessary, supervision can be purchased from the association at a rate of €18 per hour. The artist is responsible for the opening reception.
Please mention your preferred exhibition period in your application. Send your application as a single PDF (max. 5 MB), named: firstnamelastnamepajagalleriaapplication2027.pdf.
Applications must be sent by 30 May to: kalasatamanseripaja@gmail.com. Email subject: Application pajagalleria 2027. Applications are accepted in Finnish, Swedish, or English.
We’ll notify all applicants by email by 30 June 2026.
Current Exhibition
Erik Hällman
SPARK
2.4–31.5
Carefully placed staples don’t scream for attention
but linger in the afterimage
what was once packaging has been split in two
a cherry-lemon with star shaped cutouts
next to Jason’s folk art disguise
butchered swans in pools of gluey blood
a dance with ballet shoes in a trash can
a scientist’s sudden lapse of mind
an ongoing attempt to collect and pin down
On a backdrop of psychedelic flicker
roll thoughts like technical glitches
a chaotic swirl of black and white
hypnotized by it’s own fractal eyes
each eye it’s own pictorial surface
gazing through a point in the horizon
one particular composition at a time
Mixing many materials, far more than are possible to mention here, the works feature subtle interplays of layers and surfaces. Loose ends, paper rubbed raw, slick silver and fuzzy yarn. Dots of glue that have been peeled off again, traces of earlier images. Organic shapes going somewhere and nowhere at the same time. The suspension mechanism often appears to be part of the work, sometimes resembling a living grip.
Erik’s practice is deeply rooted in a constant collecting of stuff. Off of the street wandering the city, at his work as a technician in an art institution, in second hand shops when traveling. Old is mixed with new, natural materials are mixed with synthetic ones, cheap with luxurious.
The combinations are intricate, at times decorative, often unsettling.
SPARK - Sculpture. Painting. Aquarius.
Readymade. Komfortismus.
Erik Hällman holds an MFA from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and has studied theoretical philosophy at Stockholm University. His work has been exhibited at Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen; Den Frie, Copenhagen; Kunsthal Augustiana, Augustenborg, Jennifee-See Alternate, Copenhagen and Konstepidemin, Gothenburg.
Text by Unn Aurell Hansson
Upcoming Exhibition
What is Paja Gallery?
Paja Galleria is an exhibition space established in 2020 in Kalasatama's Seripaja. The gallery hosts monthly changing exhibitions. The space is free of charge for the artist holding the exhibition. Send applications to: kalasatamanseripaja[at]gmail.com
Paja galleria Kalasataman seripaja, Vanha talvitie 9, Helsinki
Open Mon–Fri 10–17
