Amos Rex
Mannerheimintie 22–24
FI-FI-00100 Helsinki
Finland
Yinka Ilori: Transparent Happiness
For the summer 2025 commission, Amos Rex has invited Yinka Ilori MBE to create an intervention in one of Helsinki’s busiest public square transforming it into a site for interaction, play, and togetherness, which are key themes across Ilori’s work. British-Nigerian artist and designer Ilori (b. 1987) is known for his multidisciplinary practice with expertise spanning architecture, sculpture, furniture and interior design and fashion.
With Transparent Happiness, Ilori creates a joyful, inclusive environment designed for play and community. You’re invited to enjoy the vibrant installation with a winding trail for walking, running, or skateboarding, along with seating areas, a ping pong table, and a basketball court adorned with Ilori’s signature Ododo pattern, Yoruba for “flower.” Set against white-washed backdrop of the Modernist Glass Palace, the installation offers a bold contrast and invites conversation about the value of public space and who gets to enjoy it.
Ilori’s work often explores community, shaped by his Nigerian heritage and upbringing in a North London housing estate. Early influences—joyful expressions through fashion, art and music—inspired his interest in creating inclusive public spaces.
Amos Rex’s mission is to work with its unique urban setting and invite artists from many disciplines to activate its public spaces. The project is part of a new, annual summer season of commissions, events and interventions.
Yinka Ilori MBE
British-Nigerian artist and designer Yinka Ilori MBE (b. 1987) is globally renowned for his bold visual language and use of vibrant colours, often drawing inspiration from his dual heritage to tell compelling stories. Believing art should be accessible to all, he is recognised for transforming urban environments – from billboards to playgrounds and parks, into immersive artworks. His mission is to spark joy, inspire playfulness and foster a sense of community among those who interact with these reimagined spaces. Yinka Ilori lives and works in London.
Yinka Ilori’s work has been widely exhibited in both solo and group exhibitions across the UK and internationally. Recent public commissions include Good Things Come to Those Who Wait (Piccadilly Circus, London, 2024), which transformed this bustling intersection into an open-air gallery; Reflection in Numbers (Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, 2024), a pavilion exploring racism in sport; and Slices of Peace (Kent, 2022), a community project featuring bright apple sculptures and a soundscape composed by Peter Adjaye, inspired by West African “call and response” traditions.
Ilori has also collaborated with a wide range of partners and clients, including Apple, Somerset House, LEGO Group, Dulwich Picture Gallery, Adidas, Creative Courts, Universal Museum, the Ethnographic Museum in Stockholm, and Superblue Miami.
