Seed Rises exhibition

Is produced by

The Seed Rises exhibition is produced to honour the memory two human rights and environmental activists, Bety Cariño and Jyri Jaakkola, who were assassinated while on a human rights mission. The artwork was selected for the exhibition from the Semillas que florecen / The Seed Rises competition to which contributions by artists were invited in memory of Cariño, Jaakkola and their legacy. The artwork in the exhibition reflects Cariño and Jaakkola’s ideology and the significance of their work amidst global crises. The exhibition has also been seen in Oaxaca, Mexico, and at the European Parliament, Strasbourg.

Bety Cariño was a Mexican human rights defender and head of CACTUS, the Mexican Mixtec community organisation. Through her organisation, she worked for food and water sovereignty, soil conservation and Mexican indigenous peoples.

Jyri Antero Jaakkola was a long-term human rights activist, chair of the Finnish CSO Uusi Tuuli and well known for his contributions to many Finnish activist movements. In spring 2010, he travelled to Mexico as a human rights observer.

In April 2010, Cariño and Jaakkola participated in a peace caravan delivering food and medicines to the state of Oaxaca. The caravan was attacked by a local armed paramilitary group. Cariño and Jaakkola were killed and several others in the caravan were injured. Regardless of a long legal battle, no punishment has been imposed on anyone in the case. In autumn 2023, the case was appealed to the Inter‑American Court of Human Rights.

The exhibition opening will take place at the festival on Saturday 25 May at 12.15–13.00.

The exhibition will be located in the Lämpiö space next to the Speaker’s Stage.