Learn Finnish: Kriitikko piti näyttelystä, joskin se oli provosoiva. - The critic liked the exhibition, albeit it was provocative.

Joskin is a more formal alternative to vaikka and translates well to "albeit" or "even if." While vaikka is very common in everyday speech, joskin gives the sentence a more polished, journalistic tone, which fits perfectly when talking about an art critic.

Why is the word näyttely in the elative case (näyttelystä)?

You likely remember that the verb pitää (when it means "to like") requires the thing being liked to take the elative case (-sta or -stä). Since the critic liked the exhibition, näyttely becomes näyttelystä.

What kind of word form is provosoiva?

It is the present active participle (the -va or -vä form) of the verb provosoida (to provoke), functioning here as an adjective. While it literally translates to "provoking," it is the standard Finnish way to say "provocative."

Could we drop the pronoun se and just say ...joskin oli provosoiva?