Enni-Kukka Tuomala

“I believe empathy is radical. It is the foundation for all connection, collaboration and communication. The word empathy evokes many reactions. We can recognise the importance and need for empathy, but struggle to know that we can practice it. In my work, empathy is the continuous process of trying to understand the experiences, perspectives and needs of others. I believe the radical power lies in the pursuit of a deeper connection – with ourselves, each other, our environments, and other species.”

Tuomala’s first solo exhibition in Finland, Expanding Empathies, was presented at Amos Rex in 2025. As a part of the exhibition thousands of Finns shared an intimate moment with a stranger inside the Empathy Echo Chamber installation. Tuomala’s Forest Empathy artwork and game are permanently on display at the Finnish Forest Museum Lusto. She has previously represented Finland at the London Design Biennale 2021 and collaborated with the likes of the BBC, YLE Kioski, Imperial College London, Greater London Authority and Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Tuomala’s long-standing examination of the relationship between empathy and power has also led her to collaborate with the Parliament of Finland, where she created a collection of empathy tools for politics together with Members of Parliament. Since 2023, she has worked as the Election Artist, investigating the state of Western democracy, health of electoral systems and the role of empathy in political culture across Finland, the EU, the UK, and the United States. In June 2026 Tuomala founded Finland’s first Empathy Council in the Kymnelaakso region together with the Finnish Cultural Foundation. The Empathy Council creates new collaborative models for future decision-making and culture of dialogue.

Enni-Kukka Tuomala has a Master of Arts from the Royal College of Art and the University of Oxford, as well as a Master of Science from Imperial College London. Before launching her own studio, she worked for years as a Cannes Lion and IPA Effectivess Award-winning strategist in London advertising at Saatchi&Saatchi and adam&eveDDB, with clients such as Mulberry, Harvey Nichols, Unilever, Mars Foods, EE, Asda and Kerry Foods.

What does empathy mean to you?

Tuomala is an empathy ambassador. She has spoken about empathy all over the world from Capetown, New York and London to Tokyo, Melbourne and Helsinki. Her previous speeches have been at eg. Nokia, the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Tehy, AbbVie, Unilever, EY, Accenture Song, Central Saint Martins, Imperial College London and Design Indaba to name a few.

In her keynote speeches, training sessions and workshops Tuomala opens up the concept of empathy as a radical tool and force for collaboration and co-habitation both in working cultures and in leadership as well as in communities and our wider society. She shares knowledge and examples from research and her own experiences of fostering empathy in different cultures around the world.

See more of Enni-Kukka Tuomala’s work here!