Moss People
Two monumental figures from Kim Simonsson’s artistic universe Moss People have found their home at Norrviken. In the moss-covered woodland landscape, Nest and Thinker become a permanent installation where nature and imagination meet.
A New Story in the Forest
Among moss-covered stones and tall trees in the woodland landscape of Norrviken, visitors encounter two new figures. They seem to have grown out of the moss itself, blending naturally into the surrounding environment. Nest and Thinker are part of Moss People – an artistic universe where a Nordic fairytale sensibility meets the contemporary.
Created in 2022 for the internationally renowned art biennial Lille3000 by artist Kim Simonsson, the sculptures belong to an exclusive series of eleven monumental moss giants. Today, they are placed in selected locations across Europe and the United States – and now two of them have found their home at Norrviken.
The Place – Where Nature and Imagination Meet
In the forest along Rudolf Abelin’s walking trail, the moss giants have found a setting that reflects their origins. Here, the boundary between artwork and nature fades. Visitors encounter them along the path as part of the landscape itself, rather than something placed upon it.
That Nest and Thinker become a permanent installation means their presence will be woven into Norrviken’s continuing story. Over time, the moss giants will age alongside the surrounding nature, as new moss slowly covers them and small forest creatures make their homes among them.
The Pieces – Nest & Thinker
Kim Simonsson’s moss giants form a community of imaginative childlike characters. Each child has a role, and every role is equally essential to their coexistence. Some carry tools on their backs, while others are accompanied by animals. The moss giants communicate silently through sign language, with each other and with the world around them. Their quiet presence reflects the underlying idea of the pieces – a utopian world where humans, animals, and other beings live in peaceful coexistence.
This year, the pieces Thinker and Nest move to Norrviken.
Thinker is the reflective observer – philosophical, slightly melancholic, and the artistic soul of the group. Nest is the caretaker. On his back, a stereo has been transformed into a birdhouse, and his hands form the sign for “nest.” He is the organiser who prepares sleeping places and creates spaces for community and safety.
The figures move between innocence and mystery. They can be seen as wild children from a Nordic fairytale – independent beings living at the heart of nature, carrying a quiet vision of harmony with the natural world.
The Artist - Kim Simonsson
Sculptor and artist Kim Simonsson (born 1974) lives and works in the artists’ village of Fiskars in Finland. He began creating at an early age, working primarily in clay, and is known for his open-minded and imaginative storytelling.
As a child, he shaped figures in the snow while others built snowmen – already showing a clear sense of form and volume. Today, he works with traditional techniques but gives the material a contemporary expression and a character of its own. His sculptures – often childlike or animal-like – carry a sense of duality, where innocence meets something more complex. Stories, myths, and existential questions take on physical form.
With Moss People, a world emerges that is both tangible and dreamlike – and which has now become part of Norrviken.
“Instead of presenting ready-made truths, they invite us to question, to dream, and to imagine with the fearless curiosity of children. It is important to give space to ideas that may at first seem absurd.”
— Kim Simonsson
The story behind Moss People
