4 33 Installation / Festival
4 33 Installation
Tomi Leppänen
21/01 – 24/02/2026
4 33 Festival
Ada Aik
Heta Bilaletdin
Islaja
Malla
Ringa Manner
Thu 05/02/2026
18–19
Free entry
Nomen Nescio Store
Fredrikinkatu 33, Helsinki
4 33 Installation
Exploring the concepts of time and space, the piece stretches 4 meters and 33 centimeters in length, and its illumination lasts exactly 4 minutes and 33 seconds. A homage to John Cage’s silent composition 4’33” (1952), it creates a temporal rhythm that mirrors Cage’s exploration of silence and attention.
4 33 Festival
The installation will accompany 4 33 Festival, a special evening featuring artists performing 4-minute-and-33-second pieces, inspired by Cage’s composition.
This February, Nomen Nescio Store in Helsinki welcomes a new installation: 4 33, a neon light work by Tomi Leppänen, Finland’s Graphic Designer of the Year 2023. Leppänen, born in 1976 in Siilinjärvi, is known for his minimalist yet playful visual approach, blending contemporary art, graphic design, music, and cultural references into his work.
Leppänen’s practice spans disciplines, seeking connections between conceptual art, philosophy, symbolism, science, architecture, design, and sound art. Over the past year, his works have been shown at Porin Taidemuseo, Pimento Gallery in Oulu, Luonnos window gallery in Helsinki, and the Graphic Days festival in Turin, Italy.
4 33 is a direct homage to John Cage’s silent composition 4’33” (1952). The installation features a blank musical staff made of white neon tubes. Physically, the piece stretches 4 meters and 33 centimeters in length, and its illumination lasts exactly 4 minutes and 33 seconds. The staff lights up line by line, remains fully lit for the duration, and then dims sequentially, creating a temporal rhythm that mirrors Cage’s exploration of silence and attention.
The work was previously exhibited in 2023 at Design Museum Helsinki, mounted on a wall. For Nomen Nescio, Leppänen has designed a freestanding structure, allowing the piece to occupy space independently and invite viewers to experience it from all angles.
The installation will accompany 4 33 Festival, a special evening featuring artists from different genres performing 4-minute-and-33-second pieces, inspired by Cage’s composition. The festival transforms Nomen Nescio Store into an immersive intersection of art, design, and sound, highlighting the playful and conceptual ethos of Leppänen’s practice.
Leppänen’s work is characterized by its combination of contemporary art and visual culture. As the Graphic Designer of the Year 2023 jury noted, “Tomi Leppänen remains true to his minimalist style, with a recognizable touch. He understands trends but does not copy them. His design is precise and convincing internationally. His work delights with a playful, insightful approach.”
After graduating from Kuopio Academy of Design and taken studies at master’s degree in Visual Communication Design at Aalto University, Leppänen founded his own studio in 2008. Alongside client projects, he is an active musician (K-X-P, Circle, Aavikko, Pharaoh Overlord) and collaborator, creating textile products with design store PUF and We Jazz festival, as well as recent works including the Typewriter Collection rug series for Mum’s, packaging for Bageri Å bakery, and the Yes, peace print collection for the Kesärauha festival.
Leppänen’s work does not aim to invent the unprecedented; rather, it reinterprets existing forms, ideas, and influences as modules to be recombined, revealing new perspectives and experiences. In 4 33, this approach is evident: a simple, conceptually precise idea unfolds into a multisensory encounter, where light, time, and silence merge into a contemplative experience for all who enter the space.