Henna Asikainen & Roua Horanieh: To Own Both Nothing and the Whole World

The project explores ideas of home and belonging, reflecting on the impact of displacement on both human and more-than-human worlds. Recognising that nature is our first habitat without which no home can be built. The materials used in the work are foraged from the surrounding landscape, each carrying its own enchanting story—bringing communities together in unexpected and meaningful ways.

The multiple artworks will be seen outside of the gallery, in the entrance area Lightbox, on Ground Floor and in the Level 5 Viewing Box, with its presence woven across Baltic. 

At the heart of the work are Taihaku cherry trees and their extraordinary migration story, where a sole migrant tree in the UK became a saviour of the whole ecosystem, reviving the extinct community in its native country of Japan. 

The exhibition also encompasses migratory birdnests with their many stories of movement, resilience and adaptation and 200-year-old tree roots planted during the Napoleonic Wars, and which were uprooted by a recent storm. Willow and other foraged wonders from community gardens feature within the artwork alongside a tree felled by a storm in local suburbia, a reminder of nature’s unpredictability and the cycles of loss and renewal.

Through this assemblage of living histories, To Own Both Nothing and The Whole World invites reflection on the interconnected journeys of people, plants, and place—foregrounding the invaluable contribution migrants bring to this country, and the power and beauty of nature and community in shaping our shared world.

The project aims to raise awareness around displacement and climate, to create the opportunity for dialogue with asylum seekers, refugees and migrants around the perception of their migration, their future and how they can thrive in a new environment. It also enables the opportunity for dialogue within the local area on what it takes to welcome a migrant community. Many different elements make a nest, and it takes many to create it, weaving together different elements to create something solid that can hold and shelter someone. By creating a story that lives on in people’s memories and thoughts, there is the potential to change minds and behaviours. 

Henna Asikainen is a Finnish multidisciplinary artist based in the UK, renowned for her socially engaged and participatory practice. Her work explores the intricate relationships between humans and the natural world, addressing themes of migration, climate justice, social belonging, and the ecological impact of displacement. For the new public artwork, Asikainen will collaborate with Syrian writer and architect Roua Horanieh, whose multidisciplinary career spans architecture, storytelling, and cultural reflection.
 

About the Moomin80 commission 
The commission aligns with national Refugee Week to highlight the resilience and creativity of refugees and asylum seekers. Asikainen’s work will exist alongside three other commissions in Southbank Centre, London, Gloucester Guildhall, and Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture. With its Gallery of Sanctuary status, Baltic continues to promote welcome, inclusivity, and awareness through creative platforms, making this collaboration an exciting opportunity to explore community and connection in the public realm

Counterpoints Arts is a national organisation in the field of arts, migration and cultural change. Moomin Characters Oy Ltd is the official copyright holder of all the Moomin characters. The company was founded in the 1950s by Tove Jansson (1914–2001) and her brother Lars Jansson to manage the copyright of the Moomins and is still run by family members. Other Moomin 80th celebrations in 2025 include exhibitions worldwide, special publishing projects, and the launch of The Summer Book film and Moominvalley animation.