On the Tenderness of Men

On the Tenderness of Men (Finland/UK/AT 2024)
r/t: 18 min
HD video, stereo, colour

Distributed by AV-arkki, Centre for Finnish Media Art and the Movies Matter Co., Ltd. (Documentary Club).

‘On the Tenderness of Men’ is a polyphonic audio-visual work narrating the history of the iconic Temppeliaukio Church in Helsinki and its architect, the brothers Tuomo and Timo Suomalainen who designed the building. The work speculates on the architects’ personal history of displacement during the Winter War of 1939 and brings attention to the forgotten workers who built the church. The piece draws on materials from the Museum of Finnish Architecture archive, presents architectural observations and ties this to Kyösti Larson’s poem “The Wanderer of the Stormy Sea,” dedicated to Suursaari, the place where the Suomalainen brothers fled from during World War II. Directly addressing museum visitors, current and former lovers, and the wider society, these elements together create a speculative work that seeks to reinterpret the construction of Temppeliaukio Church with a gentle gaze. By juxtaposing current political issues with the personal history of the architects, the work reads the building as a physical and emotional civil defence shelter and refuge amid today’s crises. – Kaisa Karvinen, curator.

Collaborating artists (sound):
Antti Kytömäki
Cameron Randall
Iiro Komulainen

Associate Producer: Ida Karoskoski

TRAILER

EXHIBITIONS & SCREENINGS
BOOKED Exhibition. 17-29 October 2026. Art Hub Pikisaari, Oulu
Another Gaze Architecture Seminar. 28 August 2026. Aaltosiilo, Oulu, Finland, part of Alvar Aalto Week, Oulu 2026 European Capital of Culture. Curators: Kaisa Karvinen and Jenni Hakovirta
Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS), What the doc? 8 March 2026
Ethnofest. 26 November – 7 December 2025. Athens Ethnographic Film Festival, Greece
Video Art Festival Turku (VAFT). 13 – 16 November 2025. Curator: Pilvi Takala
Kinship, Abolition, Freedom conference. 10 October 2025. Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA. Curator: Kimberly Juanita Brown
Booked exhibition. 6 – 14 September 2025. MUU Helsinki Contemporary Art Centre
What the Doc! International Documentary Festival. 29 & 30 August 2025. Bangkok
Diagonale Festival of Austrian Film. 28 & 30 March 2025. Graz
Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival. 10 March 2025. Greece
FIX: Care & Repair exhibition. 26 April 2024 – 5 January 2025. Architecture and Design Museum, Helsinki. Curators: Kaisa Karvinen and Jutta Tynkkynen

Supported by Kone Foundation, Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, Helsinki International Artist Programme, and the Austrian Embassy in Helsinki. Photo: courtesy of the Architecture and Design Museum Helsinki