From Fragments/ Sirpaleista

“From Fragments/Shards” is an exhibition that explores personal growth and the quiet but powerful ways an individual can shape the sustainability of a community and society as a whole. As people move through life, they encounter challenges that often leave parts of their identity fractured, reshaped, and determined. Growth is rarely a smooth or solidary journey. It is a process of breaking and becoming, of gathering fragments and learning how to live with them or transform them into something new.

More often than not, this process is not something we go through alone. We exist within communities, even if we don’t always feel it. Yet in today’s creatively individualized world, it is becoming harder to find safe spaces where people can express themselves openly and feel genetically heard. Many remain within internal barriers, spaces that feel safe but also overlapping. At the same time, when individuals share their structures, healing, and growth, it creates openings for others. These shared experiences become points of connection, allowing others to reflect, learn, and reshape their own journeys. In this way, personal growth becomes collective growth. This is where a more sustainable, empathetic community begins to take form.

Taking the step from silence into expression, from Containment into openness, is not easy. It requires courage to move beyond the comfort of one’s inner “cage” and experience the vulnerability of freedom. This exhibition is a small but intentional attempt to encourage that step, in whatever form it may take for each person.
Just as we speak about sustainability in physical terms recycling, reusing, repairing materials there is also a need to consider the maintenance of ourselves. Both as individuals and as a society, we require care, reflection, and renew internally and externally. Sustainability is not only about the environment we live in, but also about the emotional and social ecosystems we are part of.

This exhibition is presented through a collaboration between CHAIR, GAYY and Aalto Starting point of Wellbeing, brought together with the intention of marking Pride Month and amplifying queer visibility. Through shared stories, lived experiences, and collective expression, “From Fragments/Shards” Invites reflection, connection, and the Courage to exist more openly both within us and with one another. Because when fragments are acknowledged and shared, they do not remain broken, they become part of something larger, more resilient, and more human.

The exhibition opening takes place on 15th June at 16:00 – 19:00 and is open for everyone. Sign up for the opening here

The exhibition is open from 16th to 26th on weekdays. The exhibition is open during Marsio (Otakaari 2A) opening hours which will change after midsummer. Please check our website details.