Les Chouchoutes

LES CHOUCHOUTES

Exhibition by Juliana Hyrri from 6 November to 18 December.

Opening reception on Thursday 5 November from 18:00 to 20:00 in the presence of the artist.

As part of Sarjakuva 2026, the year of Finnish comics in France.

Juliana Hyrri, born in 1989, is a visual artist, illustrator, and award-winning comic artist based in Helsinki. Having grown up between two cultures, Russian-speaking Estonia and Finnish in Finland, Juliana Hyrri has published three graphic novels dealing with childhood, exploring themes such as the search for a sense of belonging, school bullying, and the fear of rejection.

The exhibition is centered around original illustrations from Juliana Hyrri's third graphic novel, La Chouchoute, and brings together sketches and other documents illustrating the creative process, final book pages, as well as variants. Designed to accompany the book, this exhibition offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into its creation, revealing all the narrative and visual thought underlying the story.

Based on true events, La Chouchoute tells of childhood in a world where violence is often subtle and hard to recognize. Its protagonist is a lonely, daydreaming girl recognizable by her red pompom, a visual symbol that follows this otherwise nameless character through the years.

Alongside original pages created with gouache and various techniques, the exhibition includes sketches, story fragments, and narrative surprises. Rather than following the book page by page, the installation fosters a dialogue between different versions of the work and its stages of creation.

Juliana Hyrri's work has been exhibited numerous times in Finland and abroad, and she has received grants as well as illustration commissions from institutions such as the leading daily Helsingin Sanomat, the Kone Foundation, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Arts Promotion Centre, and the Finnish National Agency for Education. In 2023, Juliana Hyrri won the Finnish State Prize for the 9th art. The French translation of La Chouchoute by Kirsi Kinnunen will soon be published by Éditions Même pas mal.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

30 October – 4 November

Juliana Hyrri's graphic universe comes alive on the great wall of Café Maa! The artist will paint a mural during Café Maa opening hours, from 11:00 to 18:00.

Thursday 5 November

Opening reception in the presence of the artist from 18:00 to 20:00, free admission!

Sarjakuva 2026: program at the Institut finlandais

Pop-up graphic bookstore: La Regyliäär

From 6 November to 18 December

A pop-up graphic bookstore throughout the Les Chouchoutes exhibition. In collaboration with La Régulière, an 18th-arrondissement bookstore setting up at the Institut finlandais for the occasion, with a wide selection of titles translated into French to discover the full richness of Finnish comics.

Concert: Žižek Says!

Thursday 12 November at 20:00

An exceptional live-drawn concert at the Institut finlandais: Ville Ranta, an artist recognized for his daring comics, draws the concert live before the audience. The tumultuous duo, composed of accordionist Niko Kumpuvaara and saxophonist-singer Joonatan Rautiola, paints surreal utopias blending Finnish, French, and Ukrainian musical influences.

Family cinema: The Moomins Await Christmas

Saturday 12 December at 15:00

A film by Jakub Wroński and Ira Carpelan, for families and children from 3 years old. Adapted from books by Tove Jansson, creator of the Moomins whose deep and rich artistic universe continues to touch new generations in Finland and worldwide.

More information at www.institut-finlandais.fr

Les Chouchoutes, dedicated to the comic books of Juliana Hyrri, is presented as part of Sarjakuva 2026, the year of Finnish comics in France. Throughout the year 2026, the richness of contemporary Finnish comic art is celebrated through national programming, fostering encounters between artists and audiences and cultural exchanges between France and Finland.