Framer #01 by Pekka Toivonen

a rt a b ov e t h e

r e s t. # 0 1 , 2 0 1 1

LAUNCH ISSUE

HERE COMES THE

Eero YliVakkuri sells himself

Otto Karvonen is a mindfucker

IC–98 Elitism

ALL ABOARD TO Nick Drake IS Finnish art

Wearing one of Rosa Liksom’s 21 burqas

What is more Frame than Frame? Framer !

…c l a r i f i e s k a s i n o c r e at i v e st u dio o n pag e fort y- s i x .

My imagination is really lively, I have new ideas all the time.

… stat e s l au r i w uo l io o n pag e s i x .

A piece of art can provide a simplified route to a complex question.

… e x p l a i n s t e r i k e h a a p oja o n pag e fou rt e e n.

The museum is not a place for easy enjoyment.

… d ec l a r e s ic – 9 8 ’s pat r i k s ö d e r lu n d o n pag e t w e n t y- e ig h t.

Pose like a mermaid, up, down, up, down.

… i n st ruc t s ro s a l i k s o m o n pag e t h i rt y- s e v e n.

If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!

… a dv i s e s t h e p ro m o t e r o n pag e f i f t y- fou r .

R E M FRA AD RE RE YO U A

ING

INSIDER AGE THE P

CALL

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6 0 pag e s

� S A N N A K A N N I S TO : C lo s e O b s e r v e r , 2 0 1 0 , C - p r i n t, 1 3 0 x 160 cm.

REVOLVER [ i n t h e ] e l e vat o r Lauri Wuolio r e vo lv e r Sanna Kannisto, Markus Kåhre, Vesa-Pekka Rannikko, Terike Haapoja, Ama Gallery & Otto Karvonen m a st e r [ o n t h e m ov e ] HC Berg

LEADER l e a d e r IC–98 l i l’ l e a de r s Rosa Liksom, FRAME Finnish Fund for Art Exchange & Kasino Creative Studio c u r at or Go (As long you go)

FOLLOWER fol low e r Venice Biennale 2013,

Finnish art boom in Norway, Guerrilla Girls & Johanna Lecklin on Nick Drake gr r r* [ gr e at r e v i e ws ] Tero Puha, Marika Orenius & Jaakko Heikkilä e e ro’s e r ror Selling myself on Facebook e-l et t e r You talkin’ to me? — Well I’m the only one here

in the

E L E V A T O R

WITH LAURI WUOLIO

...WHOSE ART IS GOOD ENOUGH TO STEAL.

his is pure coincidence. We ask Lauri Wuolio to pick an elevator where we could meet. He chooses one, where he just did a piece. Not only that, but a few hours after it was placed on the wall, it was stolen. Art lifted from a lift. Getting an artwork stolen sounds flattering, but Wuolio isn’t overjoyed upon his return to the crime scene. The work had a street art flavour to it — it was just a simplified image with a text that encourages you to imagine sex with the last person you saw. Wuolio’s work has darted from sounds to visuals to text, but bringing all the art together is a conceptual clarity. Right now it seems like the three forms are more and more being combined in his works like the Careliads, which he is now working on for the next BJCEM — a biennial for young artists from Europe and the Mediterranean — that he was invited to. The Careliads started with the artist playing the tambourine alone. That evolved to a kind of blues-influenced hip hop. Wuolio was inspired by his Granddad, who was evacuated

from Carelia as a teenager. This grows into larger themes of “existentialist nomadism” — Wuolio believes the descendants of uprooted people such as evacuees or immigrants feel a lingering sense of not belonging, and a need to continue their journey. The work might also answer a non-existent question — a term Wuolio uses as the headline of his website. Those answers are ideas that may not seem like ideas at all, because they at first sound like self-evident truths — they are the best kinds of simplifying ideas. The self-confident, easily inspired and multidisciplinary artist tries to spot those from the constant flow of ideas in his head. “My imagination is really lively, I have new ideas all the time. My home is full of notebooks filled with ideas, and if I were to pursue them all I wouldn’t be through the first book yet.” TXT JONATHAN MANDER, IMG JUSSI PUIKKONEN W u o l i o s e t s u p a t e m p o r a ry wo r ks h o p i n H e l s i n k i f o r t h e s u m m e r o f 2 0 1 1 , w h e r e c o n t e m p o r a ry a r t a f t e r a m a s s i v e c l i m at e c ata s t r o p h e i s i m ag i n e d.

a n e a r ly s k e tc h o f l au r i w u o l i o â&#x20AC;&#x2122; s a r t w o r k t h at wa s s to l e n f r o m t h e e x h i b i t i o n 1 1 x 1 1 .

� S A N N A K A N N I S TO : M a x i l l a r i a f u lg e n s , 2 0 1 0 , C - p r i n t, 74 x 9 2 c m .

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WE SHOOT THE ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS AT THE ESSENTIAL ARTISTS. BLAM!

E V S A M P LE R

E V L O

Well, you could hear the speaker better. … i s m a r k us k å h r e ’s r equ e st t o m o b i l e p ho n e m a k e r s . r e a d a l l a b ou t i t o n pag e t w e lv e .

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INFORMER

Sanna Kannisto’s “Fieldwork” (Aperture 2011) is out now. In the middle of June 2011, Kannisto has solo shows in Aperture Gallery, New York and Kalhama-Piippo Contemporary, Helsinki.

Dressed in feather Sanna Kannisto has BEEN SHOOTING NATURE in the rainforests of Latin America since 1997.

When are you going to take your clothes off and photograph yourself? I’ve photographed myself already, but I haven’t taken my clothes off. I can’t see it happening. Why don’t your birds have clothes on? They do — they have their wonderful feather outfits. How do you cope with dangerous animals? There’s a researcher standing behind me with a long stick. The venomous snakes are really small. You have to be very cautious. TXT TERO KARTASTENPÄÄ � S A N N A K A N N I S TO : T r a n s i e n t R a i n , 2 0 1 0 , C - p r i n t, 1 0 5 x 1 3 0 c m (C r o p p e d) . � S A N N A K A N N I S TO : C h lo r o p h a n e s s p i z a , 2 0 1 0 , C - p r i n t, 74 x 9 4 c m .

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MARKUS Kåhre and five other Finnish artists have an exhibition in Suomesta Gallery, Berlin, in autumn 2011.

Press green Markus Kåhre was forced to get his First mobile phone RECENTLY.

INFORMER

Why do you have a phone? I’ve got so many projects that I had to get one. It wasn’t that dramatic, but it was nice when nobody could reach you. What would make you like your phone more? I don’t like phones. I just walked in a store and bought the cheapest one. Well, you could hear the speaker better. How do you answer the phone? Markus Kåhre. Do you answer every phone call? Yes. Yes I do. Could you make art out of phones? You can do a work out of everything. But in my works I have an idea first and material solutions follow. There’s a big difference between an idea and a theme. What kind of relationship do you have with other technology? I use everything I need. My last work was a complex video production and I hadn’t edited digital videos before. I just had to learn. An artist has to learn a lot of things if he wants to maintain his artistic freedom. TXT TERO KARTASTENPÄÄ, IMG MATTI TANSKANEN 014

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INFORMER

VESA-PEKKA RANNIKKO EXHIBITS IN THE ALVAR AALTO PAVILION at GIARDINI, VENICE BIENNALE 2011 from june 4th to november 27th.

No cheese

Vesa-Pekka Rannikko represents Finland at the Venice Biennale and didn’t get to smile for Vogue.

� V E S A- P E K K A R A N N I K KO : STORAGE — A PROLOGUE TO THE VENI C E BIENNALE 2 0 1 1 , FORUM BOX , HELSINKI . PHOTOGRAPHY J USSI TIAINEN .

You just got back from Venice, where Vogue Italia interviewed you — so you must know if style is an inherent quality for an artist? Style can be learned. The art world is full of style that people absorb and apply in their work. If one thinks about expressiveness, for example — what it used to mean in art was simply different ways to express one’s feelings in a spontaneous manner. Now, the early customs of that genre have become a language, or a style, and they’re being referenced a lot. However, when you look at very concrete or technical things such as painting from the perspective of the hand of the artist, it presents a whole different angle to the concept of style… And when it comes to Vogue, their style was not to let the artist smile in the photograph. What is the most beautiful thing that can’t be photographed? In my piece at the Venice Biennale there is a video installation showing me hang found works of art on the walls of that very space. The video shot in the pavilion beforehand presents an exhibition that never actually took place. So, the installation is a representation of something that never existed, but immediately turns into an authentic experience when someone looks at its imaginary traces at the Biennale. This moment is what I’m particularly interested in — the moment between spectacle and experience. It’s different for everyone, thus it can never be replicated. So, my answer is: personal experience. TXT JENNA SUTELA

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terike haapoja’s works will be exhibited in june at the prague quadriennale 2011.

Compact impact Terike Haapoja DEFIES the establishment.

INFORMER

You work a lot with scientists — what do art and science have to do with each other? There’s certainly a connection to science in that I’m all for functionality and compactness in art. A scientific theory, much like a visualisation, is often a shortcut to an idea. A piece of art can provide a simplified route to a complex question. Some call you a poet — what would you say? I try to understand things that are beyond me — the big picture. Rather than expressing myself through loud demonstrations or other conventions typically related to activist art, I question fundamental systems in society. So, when I talk about nature, it’s not about the environmental movement but about these basic structures that lay the foundations for our thinking and doing. Is everyone an artist in his or her own right? Everyone is an artist, but society doesn’t offer opportunities to practice art without responsibility of the results. People’s creativity is often appropriated for the market to use. Therefore, the role of art as an area of expression becomes increasingly important. It doesn’t feed or repeat existing values and structures, but encourages dissident thinking and radical creativity. TXT JENNA SUTELA � T erike H aapoj a : E n t r o py, 2 0 0 4 . 1 - c h a n n e l v i d e o i n s ta l l at i o n . a n i n f r a r e d c a m e r a f o l low s t h e c o o l i n g b o dy t e m p e r at u r e o f a dead horse.

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INFORMER

Ama Gallery takes part in Art Copenhagen 2011 with four Finnish artists. The online gallery is at amagallery.net.

Wall of fame Ama Gallery’s Virpi Wuori-Valtaoja wants to TAKE her walls ABROAD.

What kind of walls does Ama have? Flexible. Presentable. Proportioned. And wellknown as well. Are you ever afraid of walking into your gallery? No, I usually know what to expect. I sometimes get good shivers, though. From time to time it’s important to have exhibitions that raise emotions, but our purpose is not to provoke. How do you transfer your walls to the international art fairs? I try to build our department so that no-one can pass it without stopping. The overview has to be positive. The more art fairs I’ve visited, the fewer artists I’ve started to take with me. I want two or three artists, whose works have a contrast between them. How do you build your walls online? There will be no trendy stuff, no flashing images or ads, when we open our English version this autumn. TXT TERO KARTASTENPÄÄ, IMG MATTI TANSKANEN

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Good sign

Otto Karvonen TAKES SELF-HELP TO THE STREETS. Are traffic signs beautiful? Well. Actually no. They’re just traffic signs. Do you obey all traffic signs? No, not all of them. At first you believe and respect the signs, but then you start to contemplate what the sign means. Is that the reaction you look for with your works? Yes. I want to cause conflict. People are used to obeying certain messages in public spaces. It’s good to stop and think about your actions. Can I turn left here? Do you mean where you are right now? Yes. Yes you can, but I’d suggest you turn right. TXT TERO KARTASTENPÄÄ

Otto Karvonen will be in Action Art Actuel’s artist residency in St-Jean-sur-le-Richelieu, Canada in 2012 with solo exhibitions lined up there and in the Netherlands.

� OT TO K A R VO N E N : S i g n s f o r W o b b ly P r o s p e c t s , I n s ta l l at i o n o f 1 9 c u s to m i s e d t r a f f i c s i g n s a r o u n d L i v e r p o o l c i t y c e n t r e , C o m m i s s i o n e d by L i v e r p o o l B i e n n i a l 2 0 0 8 . PHOTOGRAPHY A l e x W o l kov i c z & OTTO KARVONEN .

INFORMER

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Name: HansChristian Berg Sex: Male Birthdate: 261071 Birthplace: Esbo Nationality: Finland God: Any God will do Website: www.hcberg.com

THE VERY BASI C S

THE OFFI C IAL

AMUSEMENT BIT If I had wings, I would... migrate away from ice. The travels I’ve enjoyed the most, have... all ended in my own bed. When I think of LED-lights... I LED it be.

First, building our Solaris sauna installation / design sculpture as part of the Sauna lab project in Turku, cultural capital 2011. Second, Short stops in Unna, Germany and Hong Kong art fair. Third, building my installation / sculpture light space Momentum at the Gothenburg Art Museum as part of the show “Close your eyes and tell me what you see”. Then to Venice to party!! Cheers.

LAST THREE (3) TO SIX (6)

MOST RE C ENT STOPS 1) Licht 21, Unna, Germany 2) The Many Faces of Death, The Wäinö Aaltonen Museum, Turku, Finland 3) Art Bologna, Italy 4) ARCO, Madrid, Spain 5) Armory Art Show, New York 6) Art Cologne, Germany

W HERE NEXT, W HAT THERE ( IN OW N WORDS)

DO YOU LIKE TRAVELLING (C LEARLY MARK YES OR NO)

X YES

SIGN HERE , PLEASE

OVE PPR D

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C UT ALONG THE LINE , g r a b yo u r pa s s p o r t AND GO !

RE C ENT PHOTO

on the mov e

M A S T E R

leaders are called leaders, because others follow them.

L L

E A D E R S A M P LE R

We don’t have to make a statement. … stat e s pat r i k s ö d e r lu n d o f ic – 9 8 o n pag e t w e n t y- s e v e n. l e a d t h e way, g e n t l e m e n.

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the time for explanations is over. uncompromising artist duo IC-98 wants to make art with more to chew. screw theory and experience the haunted art.

KILL YOUR

I CO NS TXT MAX RYYNÄNEN IMG PIETARI HAtANPÄÄ

he day after winter. I thrust through the last pockets of resistance, car-sized urban glaciers coloured by dirt, the spring sun paving the way across the tracks. At Logomo, a historical railway building, which was partly in studio-use before being pimped as the main exhibition site of Turku’s European Capital of Culture year, I meet Patrik Söderlund. He is half of IC–98 — Visa Suonpää can’t make it. Still, Visa’s drawing spirit haunts the yard, where trees pop up between the rails in a dreamy fashion. IC–98 has published books, manifestos, and is now once again producing a long, slow historical animation, this time on the Gylich colonnade, an early 19th century stoa on the waterfront of the city’s river Aura.

Max: And with the help of Visa you entered the art world? Patrik: Yes. Foucault was hot at the time. We wanted to express ourselves in non-academic ways. So we did an intervention.

� IC–98: Theses on the B o dy P o l i t i c ( R i k e t ), 2 0 0 9 , HD - a n i m at i o n , 1 4’ 0 0 ’ ’, s i l e n t. A n i m at e d by M a r k u s L e p i s tö. S t i l l i m ag e s .

a merry sign informs you of the right way to use a building. We’re gazing at the first work by IC–98.

Patrik: At the time the administration building of the university had been renovated, Max: Your works have a sense of being handand the surveillance systems were new. This made. I suppose you are still not into making early work was ironic. Irony is not in our everything yourself. It seems that getting the toolbox anymore. As Walter Benjamin right end result is the only thing that matters. put it in a text related to the Passagenwerk: Patrik: Well, yes, if drawing is not counted I have nothing to say, only something to — only Visa does it. As years have passed, show. We don’t have to make a statement. he has become more obsessed with it. In the Exhibiting is enough. Well, you asked how beginning he was more sketchy, whereas I we entered the art world — we did not necaspired to do more finished work. But nowessarily think about art. As you know art is adays I’m saying: “Isn’t that enough?” a sphere of human activity where crossover Max: Maybe that was because he has an art acts are accepted. The university would not education. What’s yours, by the way? have been as positive about it, if we hadn’t Patrik: Cultural history. That’s used that code — “art”. Max: I can’t help but think that where we met. Visa, who is a bit oldIS THE MOON Foucault was so tired of objects, er than me, had finished a BA in art, UP YET, VISA? and he wanted to go back to life as and came to the University of Turku a work of art. to study art history. 024

If you think selling it is easy, you’re wrong. It’s not.

I feel we haven’t done compromises.

Patrik: Well, yes, if you think about life as a work of art and Foucault’s excursions into American subcultures… That easily becomes an identity game. Though the excursions informed some of his most important work. I wouldn’t like us to become too personal in our work. You could create that kind of a thing of course, like Gilbert & George. Once, though, during a weak hour, we momentarily discussed identical tracksuits — an idea we dropped after seeing ourselves as a kind of a sporty Laurel & Hardy team. Me and Visa, we are too different from each other, though we share most of the fundamental ideas. Anyway, at some point the names and concepts of all these French philosophers came to art talk. Say, for example Deleuze — absurdly, when he talked about art he was quite a modernist, but as he got big anything he said was studied with care — and repeated. MAX: You mean his reputation was saved from his own bad work? Patrik: Well, it’s like Debord, an old Marxist who kicked out artists from his gang after he got the idea that art was about creating commodities. Paris was very conservative at the time, if you compare it to what was taking place elsewhere. Just think of Fluxus. Debord never got out of that scheme of thinking. The same goes for Deleuze to a certain extent. Though it is not so much Deleuze’s writing — which is powerful when talking about the conceptual “ I DROPPED IT SOME W HERE use of art — it’s more the simAROUND HERE .” plistic use, of which we have been guilty in the past, too. MAX: All obscure groups become, in the end, formal models. This applies to situationists as much as to other groups of historical avant-garde. Isn’t this going on with 026

You need theory only to an extent.

� I C – 9 8 : A V i e w f r o m t h e Ot h e r S i d e , 2 0 1 1 , HD - a n i m at i o n , 7 0 ’ 0 0 ”, s t e r e o s o u n d. A n i m at e d by M a r k u s L e p i s tö. M u s i c by M a r k k u H i e ta h a r j u . S t i l l i m ag e s .

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Elitism is a form of hardcore politics.

philosophy now? Has the art world entered a phase of philosophism, where the same Swiss pocket knife is opened on every occasion, and there we have Foucault, Deleuze, and the whole gang as simplified tools, codes to use to show that you are in? Patrik: I so agree with you! We have talked about this a lot. In our early work Deleuze was big. I could still say that we are following his and Guattari’s footsteps. They gave us concepts, but the most important thing is the attitude. But, say, Deleuze was suddenly everywhere, and became simplified. He was a career player, but he would have hated this. The lack of spirit in this mechanism of using big names BLAC K C OFFEE of theory is awful. I am acBREAK . tually afraid that the trend of artistic research PhDs is not only good. You need understanding and theoretical thinking to a certain extent, but there shouldn’t be only theory. We had, in the beginning, a social toolbox. We created tools, processed ideas, and had a vision of how our works could be used. Then things changed and now we explain less. It’s been a process of selective unlearning. Nowadays we discuss the appearance of clouds in morning light more. Last year in an exhibition with Nordic artists, we showed our animation Shadows, a national-romantic scenery, where kites and Zeppelins fly. It has a whole load of thinking behind it, but we offered no explanations. We saw

What if you see a work that starts to bother you? Art should always be about feeling bad as well.

So, if you are not interested, you might as well go home and watch TV? Patrik: Yes, the museum is not a place for easy enjoyment. And I can’t understand the talk about right wing populism, when at the same time NOW BAC K we are selling out the idea of TO WORK . art with the help of the idea of “creative industries”. I am even more angry about art as a product for well-being. Art should also be able to create problems for the viewer. It should be about Michael Kohlhaas who seeks for justice until his death. MAX: Now we’re cooking! Michael Kohlhaas is a great novel. Patrik: It could have been written today… MAX: Seriously, thinking about this tendency to be politically correct and offer art as Prozac: how can this go on? Why is art stuck? Patrik: I don’t know, but I have a feeling that it is such a great political act to go to art school, to not be productive in the basic capitalist sense. The politicians into creative industries have wisely picked up the words from cultural debates. They have semiotically kidnapped concepts to attack art more wisely! And a part of the machinery is this “do you feel awful, go to the museum”. What if there you see a work that starts to bother you? Art should always be about feeling bad as well. And when this idea of art as self-help is sold to people, they become frustrated when the medicine does not work. At that point, the right wing attacks on art sound good and justified. MAX:

an exhibition at Moderna Museet last year where we felt that many works were actually dissertations. The viewer only had one role: to watch the statement made into an object. MAX: Today we talk about right wing parties and populism in the art world. But isn’t that very populist, the kind of work you criticise? Patrik: I feel we haven’t done compromises, but I really know what you are talking about. This pressure to popularise is horrifying. For me elitism is a form of hardcore politics. MAX: Quality-oriented elitism, so to speak — not elitism as hierarchy? Patrik: Yes, exactly, uncompromising quality, the work creating its own rules. Our new animation takes 70 minutes. It’s very slow. If you watch it for five you won’t get a thing except maybe a pretty picture! We insist that you watch — however, we don’t make changes to fit any format.

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> I C – 9 8 : T h e s e s o n t h e B o dy P o l i t i c ( I n t h e L a by r i n t h ), 2 0 0 8 . A s e t o f 2 9 c a r d s , c a r d b oa r d c a s e , 3 5 0 x 1 9 4 c m , o f fs e t, e d i t i o n o f 2 0 0 . Ic o n o c l a s t P u b l i c at i o n s 1 2 .

We enter a long side-path about how we’d wish artists and philosophers still read widely and did their unorthodox interpretations of classics. The discussion moves on to the golden era of film, the French new wave. Patrik: When I think about our animations — and this may sound snobbish — one of the films related to them is Resnais’s Last Year at Marienbad. Very aesthetic but non-compromising. MAX: Now when you talk about it, I cannot but ask how the new wave did not get as wrapped-up and over-interpreted as for example the situationists. Though we have a Godard-cult, we still haven’t closed the interpretation. Patrik: I always praise Week End. It is so well structured and political, but the end is total Monty Python. It is also very entertaining, but the argument is still focused. And if you think about the long camera shot with the cars on the highway — cars, people, then flames and corpses… You have this constructed road scenery, which just goes on and on, and there is a change in time. We use this method in our animations.

IC–98’s world takes over my reality. I notice it after two hours of talk, when I look through the window and see the Turku Art Museum standing on the hill. It looks like an animation of IC–98, a building sleeping in a landscape where only one seagull is slowly moved by the wind. The sun shines through its roof-level glass construction, which looks like Visa had drawn it. At home I notice that

the rest of the tape, with its rush of crackpots from Rousseau to Pasolini, does not make any sense. It made, in another space and time. This reminds me of one of Patrik’s and Visa’s aspirations, site-specific animations. I cannot but envy those who saw their work last summer in Mänttä, where their slow, nearly mystically political animation was shown in a movie theatre. There is a time and space for everything, and art seems to find new ways to study this. � I C – 9 8 : T h e s e s o n t h e B o dy P o l i t i c (C o lo n y ), 2 0 1 0 , HD a n i m at i o n , 1 0 ’ 5 0 ’ ’, s i l e n t. A n i m at e d by M a r k u s L e p i s tö. 3 D - m o d e l i n g by K a r i K u u s e l a . I n s ta l l at i o n v i e w with Aimo Tukiainen’s sculpture P r o f i t ( 1 9 5 3) c a s t i n a lu m i n i u m .

A C H N G E F O

when renaissance woman ROSA LIKSOM makes art, any medium will do. right now her main tool is the STASH OF 21 BURQAS she bought from afghanistan. it’s time to sample that collection.

TXT TERO KARTASTENPÄÄ IMG MIKKO RYHÄNEN

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earing a blue burqa, I

stare at Rosa Liksom. She’s taking pictures of me with her compact camera, and sees more than just a thirtysomething Finnish journalist. � R O S A L I KS O M : P o r vo o, 2 0 1 1 , She sees me as a beautiD i g i ta l c - p r i n t o n a lu m i n i u m , 42 X 5 9 c m . ful Muslim woman. I didn’t expect to end up as art today. also had on Dolce & Gabbana shoes with But wait, let me explain how we ended amazingly high heels. All you could see of up in this situation. The artist and I are sither were her delicate ankles. The man was ting in the comfort of her workspace at the dressed in a stylish Diesel outfit. I stared Cable Factory. The only photoshoot we’ve through the window thinking ‘By God, fidiscussed is the one focused on her. Right nally Finland has joined this global system’.” now, Liksom is painting colourful porceLiksom wanted an Afghan burqa for her lain Matryoshka dolls to feature in an expiece, because it has the same blue as the hibition about Urho Kekkonen, who was Finnish flag. She sent a message to Finland’s Finland’s president for 25 years (1956–1982). representative in Afghanistan asking to buy The paintings on the wall feature Kekko21 burqas. The contact person’s cook nen and the former Soviet leader got the outfits for 20 euros each, and Leonid Brezhnev. Large plants and FRESH TEA , the Finnish ambassador to Afghanibookshelves fill up the space and SoOLD C UP. stan brought the entire package to viet toys stare from a fish tank. Likthe artist. som emphasises how much characSince then Liksom has taken so many ter the old bunnies, ducks, cats, hedgehogs and babies have. She has worked here for 20 photos and videos of the burqas that she’s years and gets frequent visits from admirers lost count. The images have been shot in Sweden, France, Denmark and Estonia, usabroad. This is Liksom’s playroom. ing actors, unknown people, herself, her The artist sits in the cow-leather armhusband and her 12-year-old daughter as chair and drinks tea from an old cup. Once models. “So what is it like to wear a burqa,” in a while she laughs fast and hard at her I ask. “Try it,” Liksom offers, and gets out own stories. Behind her, ladies in blue wanthe blue robe. der in Finnish sceneries. She got the initial idea for her burqa project, and the videos and photographs that followed, in 2004 while working on an exhibition for her longtime Swedish gallery, Cupido. From the tram window she saw a couple cross the market place — the woman was wearing a perfect Muslim outfit and niqab. “She

By God, finally Finland has joined this global system.

The western media hopes that its subject reveals as much as possible — what if you don’t reveal anything, what if you don’t participate? 036

�� R O S A L I KS O M : Å l a n d I s l a n d s , 2 0 0 8 , D i g i ta l c - p r i n t o n a lu m i n i u m , 42 X 5 9 c m . � R O S A L I KS O M : L a p l a n d, 2 0 0 9 , D i g i ta l c - p r i n t o n a lu m i n i u m , 42 X 5 9 c m .

I pull on the suit and my world darkens. It feels like I’m watching the workspace through bars. The suit makes me feel safe, because I can watch others in secret. When I lift the veil, the world feels light again. We have some more tea. France has forbidden the use of niqabs the previous day. Liksom doesn’t get why the French want to liberate the women from underneath the bur-

qas. “The ideal of liberty, equality and brotherhood isn’t happening for Muslim women. It’s like beating those who have been beaten the most. If someone voluntarily wants to wear a burqa, I don’t understand why they can’t — especially when there are only about 2,000 people in France who want to use a niqab.” When Liksom has exhibited the burqa images around Europe, she has had to 038

� R O S A L I KS O M : L au t ta s a a r i , 2 0 1 1 , D i g i ta l c - p r i n t o n a lu m i n i u m , 42 X 59 cm. inside the burq a, the writer of this article, t e r o k a r ta s t e n pä ä .

answer some tough questions. In Finland the reaction is calm, in France it’s a fierce debate and in Romania viewers are just wondering about the outfit. The burqa images will next be seen in Sweden and Paris. Now Liksom is working on a series of images where European terrorists pose for the camera with their guns. She’s an outsider. And that’s what she calls

herself: an outsider artist who entered the art world without going to art school. Rosa Liksom was born Anni Ylävaara in northern Finland 53 years ago and studied anthropology and social sciences in universities in Helsinki, Copenhagen and Moscow. During her 26 years of making art, she’s done paintings, comics, children’s objects and videos. Liksom asks for professional help when she needs it — Heikki Kotsala who edited the burqa videos is on loan from media artist Eija-Liisa Ahtila.

God, what a great light. “When I make art, I play. I do what I want to and use any media I want to. If I decide to paint porcelain, I go to a basic course to study it and then I start to paint,” Liksom explains in her straightforward manner. When she paints, the works come out fast, but when she writes it takes years to get the wording right. Then she doesn’t play. Liksom’s books have been translated to sixteen languages, and the next one will be out in autumn 2011. It’s called Hytti nro 6 (Cabin No 6 ) and is located in a Sovietera train to Siberia, where a twentysome-

thing Finnish girl meets a forty-something Russian man in the same cabin. But enough about writing, it’s time to do some art. Liksom grabs the burqa under her arm

and runs for it. We’re headed out to shoot me in front of a rising mist. The artist looks childish in her rubber boots and pink coat. Moments before we were walking outside, when Liksom yelled: “God, what a great light. Let’s get the camera — you’ll be the model!” We went to her apartment, where her cat woke from its nap, I caught a glimpse of the room with a view where the artist writes her novels, and we headed out with the burqa and the camera. That’s all Liksom needs. The Baltic Sea is melting and that causes a fantastic mist to rise. By the seashore I pull on the burqa, get on the rocks and pose according to the artist’s direction. “Up, down, pose like a mermaid, up, down, up, down — and again.” She says she’s never seen anything like this, referring to the mist. After the shoot is over in about ten minutes, Liksom is grateful and praises our luck. The artist has always been suspect of publicity. When photographed, she used to make sure that she wouldn’t be recognised. The theme of facelessness in the burqa works has come subconsciously. “We’re living a true revelation period in the western culture. Revealing is not forbidden but hiding is. The western media hopes that its subject reveals as much as possible — what if you don’t reveal anything, what if you don’t participate? You might stay away from the trash bin for a bit longer. Away from the box of abandoned toys.”

EVERY DAY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR LAURA KÖÖNIKKÄ AND HER TEAM MUST ADD NEW STRANDS TO FRAME’S NETWORK TO ADVANCE THE INTERNATIONAL CAUSE OF FINNISH ART. HERE’S HOW THEY DO IT.

NOT LOOKING

[ THE PHOTO DOESN’T COUNT ]

TXT TERO KARTASTENPÄÄ IMG JUSSI PUIKKONEN

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1 o more squinting. The

ters F, R, A, M and E. five women on the roof are On the desk shaped now used to the bright sun. like the letter A there FRAME’s personnel has are piles of documents gathered on the roof of the about Syria, because Helsinki Cable Factory, the FRAME is organising location of their headquara residency in Damascus, ters. The Baltic Sea starts at Syria. Elsewhere there are the root of the building and city noises repartnerships at work with internamain in the distance. “Don’t go too near the tional artist-in-residence programmes in e.g. edge,” Artistic Director Laura Köönikkä 1 Amsterdam, New York and Istanbul. Everywarns her colleagues. Nowadays FRAME thing is about interaction: between artists, isn’t about living on the edge, it’s about docurators, museums, galleries, and other peoing things in an open, efficient and fair way. ple who push the art world forward. The mission of FRAME, Finnish Fund for A central part of that interaction is comArt Exchange, is to make the Finnish municating about FRAME and art art world more international. events involving Finnish art to the r o o f to p A large ship slides by. The photogworld. On the M-shaped table the break. rapher tells the women to look into alternative press magazine Voima the future — instead they stare tois spread out. It features a large arwards Venice, 1,840 kilometres from Helsin- ticle on FRAME-supported artist group ki, because they can’t get the Italian city out Guerrilla Girls, and it was FRAME who of their mind right now. FRAME is organis- got the journalist excited about the Ameriing the exhibition — curated by Köönikkä can feminist artists. Mass e-mails are not — for the Finnish Alvar Aalto Pavilion at enough to get the word out, so the people Venice Biennale 2011. In her first year leadworking at FRAME have to take matters ing FRAME, Köönikkä has gathered toin their own hands. Sometimes it means gether an efficient group. Now it’s time to calling people and at other times it means find out how FRAME builds its network. walking up to the relevant people to give During the day we should also find out what the lowdown of what’s relevant in Finnish kind of a leader the new boss is. art. FRAME’s mission is not to promote the traditional Finnish story but to focus on It’s so Scandinavian it hurts. We come diverse international projects. Like when downstairs to FRAME’s office, which is FRAME picked the Iraqi-born, Helsinkicalm, pale, open, clean-surfaced and featurbased artist Adel Abidin to represent Fining a view of the sea. Pieces of furniture land at the 2007 Venice Biennale. designed by artists Jan-Erik Andersson As soon as Abidin is mentioned, he and Erkki Pitkäranta make up the letwalks in the office looking a little absent042

minded. The video artist is again preparing works for the Venice Biennale, but this time they’re exhibited in the Iraqi pavilion. The problem right now is transport. “You’ve had problems with the exhibition,” Köönikkä asks. “A lot. A lot,” Abidin sighs. Problem solver Köönikkä promises to help and will check if Abidin’s materials fit into the Finnish shipment to Venice. She shakes her head — Venice always leads to unexpected costs. “Sometimes it’s just ridiculous,” Köönikkä says and grabs her phone. 2 The doorbell rings. Video artist Johanna Lecklin is guided to meet Swedish curator Caroline Elgh, the curator of Bonniers Konsthall in Stockholm. During her three day visit, Elgh will meet 17 Finnish artists in FRAME’s offices. The curator also has a chance to browse through 500 Finnish artist portfolios. Curator Elgh and artist Lecklin sit opposite each other in a big room with a plate of croissants between them. Both explain their motives and try to figure out if cooperation makes sense. They reach an understanding, when Lecklin says that working with children isn’t easy. Elgh knows what she means. “If you like, you can have this dvd,” Lecklin says. “I’d be pleased to, thanks,” Elgh answers. Art changes hands and the network grows a new strand.

Envelopes open up

with a ripping sound. Coordinator Päivi Mustola 2 receives a proof from the printer’s of the invitation for the Open Helsinki party in Venice. Mustola is responsible monitoring international projects, compiling the yearbook and looking over all printed materials including Framer. She has worked at several art instances before and has nerves of steel, so she doesn’t stress when communications between Finland and Italy aren’t exactly smooth. “Finns are prompt and solid —

Finns are prompt and solid — information has a different nature in Italy. information has a different nature in Italy,” Mustola says with a diplomatic smile. Artist Johanna Lecklin is on the way out, when Köönikkä pulls her aside. “You got the grant,” she says. “Oh! Did I? Yes!” She celebrates — even though she applied for 7,000 euros but received 2,600 euros. On Secretary Anni Hirva’s 3 desk — forming the letters F and R — lie 120 applications for Finnish artists’ exhibitions and publications as well as foreign art museums that exhibit Finnish art. Köönikkä pulls on her coat and heads towards the Designmuseum. In the Cable

Factory’s yard, she runs into Adel Abidin, and tells him that transportation for Venice has now been organised. And then she’s already in the taxi. The past months Köönikkä has been constantly talking about FRAME and now she’s about to spread the word to the members of Ornamo, the Finnish Association of Designers. She speaks to her audience in a calm tone, even when facing difficult questions. She repeats her career history, mentions the years working at the Art Museums of Pori and Tampere, where she gained experience of the international art world. She explains how FRAME’s future was threatened, and how it still hasn’t been set in stone. The organisation needs to get private funding in addition to the government funding provided by the Ministry of Education and Culture. She also hopes that her role will become clearer. “The director shouldn’t also be the curator of Venice Biennale, which is why we’ll have an open call next time,” she says. Applause still ringing in her ears, Köö-

nikkä pulls on her coat and heads toward Kiasma, the Museum of Contemporary Art. On the way it’s time to ask the director a tricky question: How do you know the right answers? “Based on my prior experience. I think we should be flexible instead of unequivocal. We can tailor our operations to suit each project.” She emphasises that FRAME must be open to new people and

Sometimes people say some artist is a “good guy”. I don’t care if they are. I care whether they make good art. ideas. “Sometimes people say some artist is a ‘good guy’. I don’t care if they are. I care whether they make good art.” At Kiasma she meets up with curator Elgh, and introduces her to Kiasma’s personnel as well as other relevant people at the VIP opening of the ARS 2011 exhibition. Köönikkä walks through the Africathemed exhibition making a mental note of which works she wants to return to after the hectic opening night. As the sun sets, more wine is poured and small talk accelerates. Elgh would like to meet a superstar of Finnish contemporary art, Eija-Liisa Ahtila. Köönikkä finds her among the crowd, whispers a few words in her ear and directs the artist to the Swedish curator. They shake hands, Köönikkä smiles and the network grows another strand. T h e FRAME t e a m o n the roof of the Cable Fac to ry i n A p r i l 2 0 1 1 .

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the hard core of Kasino Creative Studio, pekka toivonen and jonathan mander, were hit with the task to create the Framer magazine. But is what they do art? Well, just as close as you can get.

TXT PHILIP TEIR â&#x20AC;˘ IMG JUSSI PUIKKONEN

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o boundaries hold these

‘Art on Demand’ is just our way of saying we are an agency.

guys. In the anti-aesthetic velour surroundings of Helsinki café Kitch, Pekka Toivonen, a 31-year-old with long blonde hair and slim black clothes, tries to explain exactly what eastern end of Europe. In Finland people alKasino Creative Studio is ways assume you have to orientate yourself all about. Jonathan Mander, a 35-year-old westwards, but we should accept our eastbearded father of two, seems to think it is ernness,” says Jonathan, the Content Direceasier to explain what Kasino is not. tor. Pekka adds: “Did you know that all the “In Finland the boundaries are very numbers in the streets in Finland grow tostrict. If you’re an ad agency, you can’t do wards the west? I just learned that a couple magazines. And if you do editorial design, you can’t do content. For us the content has of days ago. It’s like were trying to escape something.” always been as important as the design,” On their website, Kasino say they make says Pekka, the Creative Director. ‘Art on Demand’. “That’s just our way of It all started in 2005 in Kallio, Helsinki. saying that we are an agency,” laughs “We basically had three guys and an Pekka. So what is Kasino? They say office. We decided to do a magazine, FIT C ONTENT AND C REATIVE that they “don’t call clients”, but they because we figured we had to make TO FRAME . do get calls. They have an artsy apsome noise,” says Pekka — the third proach to their design work, but the guy was photographer Jussi Puikpriority is that the message is clear. “I think konen. The magazine, Kasino A4, was distributed in over 20 countries, and picked that we can do things with a similar approach as one of the top ten independent style mag- to art. We want people to experience stuff with a strong concept. But with a commerazines in the world by Style Press 2008. It reflected the Kasino guys’ ambition to com- cial clarity,” says Jonathan. bine form and content. Kasino A4 was also THIS IS THE HARD CORE of Kasino Creative known as The Most Melancholy Magazine Studio, but Pekka and Jonathan always col— part art magazine, part hipster fanzine, laborate with others. “We have a huge team part serious journalism. “It was basically of creatives we work with, and we can do supposed to be like a picture of what was projects very fast.” The two of them bring going on in our heads,” says Pekka. different things to the table. “It’s obviBack then, the guys wanted to catch the ous that we are pretty different. I was re“Finnish soulscape”. Finnishness is still a ally bored in school doing things with other part of what the agency does, but not the graphic designers. It’s much more fun workmain part. “We do things internationally, ing with people from different backgrounds. but at the same time we recognise that we The tools we use to execute ideas are difare doing it in a small country at the northferent, but at the same time Jonathan is in-

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volved in the visual part of the job, and I’m involved in the content,” Pekka explains. When they set out to work on Framer, they quickly figured out the character of the magazine. “We wanted it to be bold. The fantastic characters in the Finnish art world have quite a unique way of looking at the world. Framer should help them to share those views and ideas,” Jonathan explains. The magazine has been designed with strict conceptualisation in mind. The visual con-

cept is pretty minimal and the art is allowed to speak for itself. “We don’t want to make art over art. The visual content is already there. It is a bigger challenge trying to make an art magazine that feels like a ‘normal’ magazine. But of course there’s some vivid typography and firm graphic details to make the mag stand out of the ordinary,” says Pekka. And the name? “It is a comparative form of FRAME — what is more than FRAME? Framer!”

KASINO C REATIVE STUDIO ’ S OW N EXPERIMENTAL PUBLI C ATION , “ K a s i n o C r e at i v e A n n u a l A b o u t W o r k ”, i s i n s p e c i a l i s t s to r e s w o r l dw i d e n ow. W e a r e k a s i n o. c o m

CURATOR: Travelling is essential to curators. TXT laura köönikkä

RETTY OFTEN WE AT FRAME

say “bye bye” to an impressed and tired curator who is leaving to the Helsinki-Vantaa airport for a journey home. During the past seven months FRAME has invited and hosted a versatile group of international curators, who have stayed in Finland from three to eight days. The schedule FRAME creates for the visitor is often compact and active, as there are so many talented, diverse and eager artists to introduce to the international professionals. The programme for the visit is built upon the desires and interests of the curator — it is also a great opportunity to present the current exhibitions in the local galleries and museums around Helsinki as well as in other cities. As the curators get more acquainted with the Finnish arts scene, they get new perspectives to their initial interests. Some of the invited curators are in Finland for the first time, others are frequent visitors. As a curator, I know how important it is to spend some time out of Finland. Sometimes you have to go far to see close, or to cut yourself loose from familiar surroundings and let the unfamiliar lead you to something new. There is nothing more inspirational than discussing and brainstorming with a colleague from another city, another context and culture, or walking into an exhibition and finding the most compelling, intriguing and touching work of art. This scarily inspiring feeling will at best lead to a result — an exhibition in Finland or somewhere else.

(AS-LONG-A-What does travelLing and changing place mean to a curator? Can you be an international curator without travelling? What role do international curators play internationally and locally? Is there a relationship between cities, regional ideals of art and the engagement of the non-domicile curator? Sheyi Bankale, a curator and the founder of Next Level UK tells about his experiences and perspectives to travelling. He first came to Finland in July 2009 after which he visited every two months. “I think the challenge to integrate complexity and how an international curator gains and shares experience and knowledge, comes back F o r wa r d, said the to how time is spent. I do sinmonk. cerely feel that a considerable amount of travel is required 050

-- S - Y O U - G O )

people, politics, economy, education and all things present in the everyday and in the art. Sometimes the experience of the country and its nation is also reflected through assumptions, which either turn out to be fact or fiction. Bankale talks about his preconceptions: “From memory, without a direct series of any one event, I was sometimes suspicious of the scene, coming from a culturally diverse UK scene as a point of departure, the issue of integration became paramount. Nevertheless, the suspicions were items harboured in my suitcase rather than on the ground.”

One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things.

to research, form networks and partake in the regional culture to clearly echo the path of an in— h e n ry m i l l e r ternational curator.” Bankale has commented on the Finnish art scene in his “Helsinki” edition of the Next Level magaAll that matters is the genuine and human zine. “The ideals and imagery in the Finnish way of making the art world more converart scene can appear illusive at first glance, gent. At times a fruitful cultural exchange but the more you linger the gaze, the more leads to connecting on a different level you begin to comprehend the local referenc- — as has happened with Sheyi: “Overall es and cultural concepts involved. Slowly the experience of Finland is encouraging to but surely the beauty and sophistication of not have made associates but instead close the art come into focus”. To Bankale this friendships.” sentiment is still the root of the cohesive voice of the Finnish art scene. B a n k a l e , c u r ato r a n d e d i to r o f t h e N e x t L e v e l m ag a z i n e , i s o r g a n i s i n g Of course, when you frequently visit Fint h r e e s o lo s h ow s by F i n n i s h a r t i s t s : S asha H uber , T uomo R ainio a n d N elli land, you get involved in much more than Palom ä ki i n Lo n d o n , UK . T h e e x h i b i t i o n s just the art scene. You learn more about the a r e s u p p o r t e d by FRAME .

ďż˝ otto kar vonen : A l e r t ! I n s ta l l at i o n o f s i g n s a n d a b a n n e r , SKOR F o u n dat i o n for Art and Public Domain, A m s t e r da m 2 0 1 1 . p h oto g r a p h y Ot to K a r vo n e n .

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the future is here already. read all about it. shuffle on!

F R So u need profile?

…wa s a s k e d f ro m ou r m i sta k e s p ec i a l i st e e ro y l i -va k k u r i . s e e w h e r e i t l e d o n pag e f i f t y- s i x .

E S A M P LE R

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compiled by päivi mustola & Laura köönikkä

FOLLOWER

In 2013 it is Finland’s turn to host the exhibition at the Nordic Pavilion in Giardini.

t h e v e n ic e b i e n na l e 2 0 13 will be bigger than usual for Finland. Not only will Finnish art be featured in the Alvar Aalto Pavilion (pictured), but it is also Finland’s turn to host the exhibition at the Nordic Pavilion in Giardini. Starting with 2011’s Venice Biennale Finland, Sweden and Norway take turns hosting the Nordic Pavilion’s exhibition. It is Sweden’s turn first putting on the show at the Nordic Pavilion, featuring works by Fia Backström and Andreas Eriksson. In 2013 Finland will take care of the honours, and representatives and curators for Finland’s Venice Biennale 2013 exhibitions will be selected by a team of international art professionals invited by FRAME. F

� M arko Vuokol a : T h e S e v e n t h Wav e — Ac t O n e , 2 0 1 0 . c - p r i n t, D i a s ec , DIPTYC H , 2 x 1 8 0 x 180 cm.

n orway lov e s f i n n i s h a rt. That is shown by the strikingly high number of recent grant applications FRAME has received from Norway. To break through in a country’s art scene takes a bit of luck but mostly determination. When talking about Finnish art’s prominence in Norway, the role of Kunstnerens Hus Oslo’s previous director, Finnish Maaretta Jaukkuri, can’t be undermined. Jan Förster, the new director of the Finnish-Norwegian Institute in Oslo, has networked in the Norwegian art scene. Finnish artists will be exhibited at the 6th Nordic Biennial for Nordic Contemporary Art, Momentum 2011, in Moss from June 18th to October 2nd. Sørlandets Kunstmuseum in Kristiansand will also feature Finns throughout the year. F

� M arko Vuokola : T h e S e v e n t h Wav e — P r o o f, 2 0 1 1 . c - p r i n t, D i a s e c , DIPTYC H , 2 x 1 8 0 x 180 cm.

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Even though female artists receive just as much financial support as male artists, they still end up earning less.

t h e gu e r r i l l a g i r l s visited Tampere and Helsinki in April 2011. The U.S.-based artist group were touring to create debate about gender equality in the Nordic Countries. Two women in gorilla masks walk into an auditorium at the Helsinki University, which is filled with people. They are here to hear what the group’s founding members, only known as Frida Kahlo and Käthe Kollwitz, have to say about their art, campaigns, feminism and gender discrimination. The Guerrilla Girls start by offering bananas to the listeners. They walk to the podium and ask who consider themselves feminists. 99.9 percent raise hands. The Guerrilla Girls hope to change the minds of the remaining 0.01 percent. They also have a point about Finnish art: even though female artists receive just as much financial support as male artists, they still end up earning less. Much has been accomplished, but there’s still some way to go until gender equality has been reached in the Finnish art scene. With their lecture the Guerrilla Girls show that gender equality is as relevant a theme in the fields of art, films and politics as when the group was founded in the United States in 1985. Frida Kahlo and Käthe Kollwitz encourage the women to be active, speak up and form new groups inspired by them. The Guerrilla Girls Nordic Tour was produced by Josefina Posch, Snowball Cultural Productions (Sweden) and Kira Sjöberg, ArtShortCut (Finland). In Finland the tour was supported by Tampere Art Museum, TR1 Kunsthalle and FRAME. F

LOCATOR FIN NISH A RT WA S H ER E.

T H E P L AC E • • • INDEX — t h e Sw e d i s h C o n t e m p o r a ry A r t F o u n dat i o n , S to c k h o l m , Sw e d e n . THE ART ••• Brâncuşi Studies, among ot h e r wo r ks by J .O. M allander ( b .1 9 4 4) wa s s e e n at INDEX i n e a r ly 2 0 1 1 .T h e a r t i s t wa s p l e a s a n t ly s u r p r i s e d to s e e h i s wo r ks s u cc e s s f u l ly s o l d a n d e n d i n g u p i n Sw e d i s h h o m e s a n d c o l l e c t i o n s . H e i s h a p py to b e d e s c r i b e d as the pioneer and a veteran of conceptual a r t. H e s ays h e a d m i r e s B r â n c u ş i , w h o wa s a b l e to r e p e at a m ov e m e n t i n a s c u l p t u r e . M a l l a n d e r t h i n ks t h e i d e a to b e a n a r t i s t i s to b e a b l e to c atc h a m o m e n t a n d s e a l t h e s p l i t s e c o n d i n a p i c t u r e a s h e ’ s way o f s e e i n g . A s h e s ays : “ Yo u c a n c atc h a b i r d b u t n e v e r i t s f ly ”.

F FOLLOWER

Nick Drake died in 1974 at the age of 26 due to an overdose on anti-depressants.

s i n g e r – s o n g w r i t e r n ic k d r a k e is the subject of a group exhibition at the Bonington Gallery in Nottingham, where Finnish artist Johanna Lecklin will present new work. Lecklin, who works with video, film and photography, was invited to the Searching for Nick Drake exhibition by curator Andrea Fitzpatrick. She had seen Lecklin’s works at the Limerick Biennial in 2006. Other participating artists include Jonas Mekas, Janis Rafailidou, Megs Morley, Tom Flanagan, Kevin Flanagan, Nuisance Bears aka Nicholas Devaney, Sarah Lincoln, George Higgs, Tim Pope and Rusted Rail. Nick Drake died in 1974 at the age of 26 due to an overdose on anti-depressants. He has

ASK THE PROMOTER!

Q • • • I need a chan g e o f scene . C an you help me g et the hell out o f Finland ? A • • • Fi r s t, c h ec k o u t FRAME’ s w eb s i t e (fr a m efu n d. fi), w h er e t h er e a r e g e taway p o s s i b i li t i es fo r a r t i s ts a n d a r t pr o fes s i o n a ls . A fe w d o o r s a r e a lways o pen to r es i d en c i es , s h o r t-t er m t r i p s a n d pr o fes s i o n a l

become a cult figure since then with his music still finding new fans. Lecklin didn’t know Nick Drake’s music or his lifestory, when she was invited to participate in the exhibition focused on him. Therefore, the decision to focus on fans and fan letters to Drake came naturally. Lecklin will create a video installation paying homage to Keith Morris’ photo series of the musician, where he stands leaning to a brick wall while people rush by. In the video five Drake fans will take the part of Drake by the wall. The video will be accompanied by Drake’s compositions performed with lyrics from fan letters. The Estate of Nick Drake, Bryter Music, has granted a permission to use Drake’s music. The exhibition opens in 2012. F

Wanna take your art out of Finland or bring it to Finland? The Promoter knows how it’s done. T o get an A send your Q to f ramer@f rame-f und.fi

v i s i t s . I f yo u a r e a n a r t i s t, b e act i v e towa r d s c u r ato r s , m u s eu m s a n d g a ller i es a b r oa d, b ecau s e t h e y w i ll n ot fi n d yo u u n les s t h e y k n ow yo u e x i s t ! T r av el a n d yo u en d u p t r av elli n g ag a i n . I f yo u a r e a n a r t pr o fes s i o n a l, b e c r e at i v e, n e t wo r k , t r av el a n d s h ow r es pect to yo u r c o lle ag u es , a r t i s t s a n d m ed i a — a n d i f yo u ca n ’ t

s ta n d t h e h e at, g e t o u t o f t h e k i tc h en . I f yo u a r e t i r ed o f Fi n l a n d fo r g o o d, i m ag i n e w h at li fe wo u ld b e li k e i n a n ot h er c o u n t ry. I f t h at fa n ta sy t u r n s i n to a day d r e a m r at h er t h a n a n i g h t m a r e, b o o k fli g h t s a n d le t FRAME k n ow w h er e yo u a r e h e a d ed. Q • • • I g ot a g reat g rant f rom you some time ag o.

T hanks , it came in handy ! I hav en ’ t sent you any details about how I used it. . . I s that a problem ? A ••• Su re is. We recommend yo u g e t i n to u c h w i t h FRAME a n d e x p l a i n w h y yo u h av e n ’ t r e p o r t e d yo u r u s e o f t h e g r a n t. T h e b a s i c rule is this: the recipient of a grant must send FRAME a w r i t t e n acc o u n t

o f h ow t h e g r a n t wa s used with the required e n c lo s u r e s w i t h i n t w o months after the end of t h e p r oj e c t. I n c lu d e a c a lc u l at i o n t h at d e ta i l s t h e u s e o f t h e g r a n t. A b o n u s p o s i t i v e o u tc o m e o f f i l i n g i n t h e r e p o r t i s t h at FRAME c a n f u r t h e r ta l k u p yo u r s u cc e s s f u l p r oj e c t.

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G R R R* GREAT REVIEWS verlasting questions of power, freedom, language and body in the society are dealt with in the book w h e n i di dn ’t k now a bou t you y et — v i sions of pow e r a n d body i n m a r i k a or e n i us ’s wor k (2011). In the book, Martta Heikkilä scrutinises the philosophies and inspirations behind the photography, video, drawing and installations. This includes Michel Foucault’s views on knowledge and power and the Islamist suicide bombers called Black Widows in Chechnya. Orenius raises questions that are ultimately left open. Who defines the boundaries of liberty? What is the influence of social institutions on our language? “Because of its persuasive humanism, Orenius’s art reflects the world in a timeless fashion: it addresses the existence of our reality, which is simultaneously light, profound, sad and playful.” F for e x i st e n t i a l i st p h i lo s op h e r s

amp spirit, cheesy B-grade movie stars and urban consumerism critique is what Tero Puha’s work is all about. He has delved in these topics for 15 years in photographs, videos and installations. In his works even the everyday life of a desperate housewife waiting for her husband to come home is inspiring. a l mo st h u m a n — wor k s 19 9 5 – 2 0 1 0 (Inky Robot Media, 2011) is a compact publication that packages together the core aspects of Puha’s art by showing his work and featuring five articles by Finnish experts of contemporary art. The themes include the life of the modern individual, representation of gender, body image, socio-cultural constructions, identity, consumer behaviour and popular culture. If pop is your art, identity and religion, you have to take a closer look at this book. Leevi Haapala focuses on gender and identity in Puha’s art. He plays with the concepts in ways that are hilarious yet serious as well as a mixture of femininity/ masculinity/drag. Annamari Vänskä points out the cruel fact that nowadays you can shop even for emotions, body and identity, and logically asks: is nothing not for sale? Leena-Maija Rossi focuses on one of the most interesting and bold projects of Puha’s career: the composite work Love and Lust Museum that he created together with visual artist-journalist Jussi Sorvari. The book includes a conversation between Tero Puha and Anna-Kaisa Rastenberger, which spans the artist’s entire career and ends with him saying: “Surely everyone wants to succeed at the things they are passionate about.” F for body i m age bu i l de r s

odest everyday life as a beautiful story is presented in Jaakko Heikkilä’s pictures. He has travelled with his camera to forgotten places to meet minorities or people, who have been forced to abandon their roots. si l e n t ta l k s (Kehrer Verlag Heidelberg, 2011) collects Heikkilä’s observations in a large format book that gives space to the featured panoramic landscapes as well as close-up portraits. The journey starts in northern Sweden with a focus on the Finnish-speaking minority. Heikkilä also visits the Pomorišje people on the banks of the White Sea in northern Russia and the residents of Harlem in New York. Heikkilä definitely seems at home off the beaten track. He has

looked for descendants of the Armenians, who escaped the genocide by the Turks in 1915. It led him to Los Angeles and Venice, Italy. In the end Heikkilä returns to his roots in the region around the Tornio river on the border of Finland and Sweden in a series called Jesus Stands on the Swedish Side. The book captures the true essence of Heikkilä’s art, which combines documentary photo reportage and cultural anthropology. Silent Talks speaks for the identity and existence of unseen minorities inspiring curiosity about hidden worlds — starting with checking Google Maps for the location of Itaparica. F for s e a rc h e r s of lo st wor l d s

PERFORMANCE ARTIST EERO YLI-VAKKURI MAKES ALL THE MISTAKES IN the world, SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO.

EERO’S ERROR

SELLING MYSELF ON FACEBOOK

e l l i n g a rt is about selling the self. By buying art audiences fulfil hidden desires, take part in exotic adventures and promote politics their own status would not permit. Owning someone’s work is the safest way to participate in their lifestory. Much like in stock markets, the brand is in focus and what the artist says in public affects the price. Investments in living artists are risky — we inevitably blurt out something to devalue the brand. The internet makes protecting the personal brand difficult since audiences have access to behind the scenes status updates, which prove people are equally foolish. Because of this, on Facebook smart netizens use clever puns as names that leave the uninitiated out of the loop while avoiding insults through rejected “friendship requests”. As I decided to join this smart class, I had to decide what to do with my existing profile. It’d become social toxic waste. And there is no social etiquette to retreating from social media. I decided to do as all corporations stuck with toxic waste: I started to trade with it.

s e l l i n g v i rt ua l goods like World of Warcraft accounts is an expanding industry, so there definitely is a market for my product. Imagine a Japanese school girl using a bearded Finnish man’s Facebook profile in a live-action role play scenario. I settled for the price of 1,14 € per friend, so I would get 450 euros for 392 friends. I placed a screen capture of my profile page on the Finnish eBay, Huuto.net, and went to bed fantasising of profits. In the morning, I regretted what I’d done and told friends about it. Instead of being offended, they liked it and started bidding. The only ones objecting to my sale were Facebook’s Terms of Service — as a Huuto.net clerk told me after removing my ad. I also found out that creative traders had long been selling Facebook profiles, when I found online threads from early 2007. I dug deeper and got into conversation with a trader.

CALM BEFORE THE STORM...

colleenaoanton: so u need profile? me: Jep. With some 500 friends. Possibly with EU identity. colleenaoanton: ya okay. i will show u now. me: Send me a screen shot if you have one. How much? colleenaoanton: $ 5 per 100 friends. me: Ok. I’ll contact you after lunch. t h e r e a r e possibly millions of virtual characters and identities for sale out there. Because of the quantity, there are bound to be situations where these “viral characters” played by viral marketing company employees end up selling Viagra to each other. Potent tradesmen.

Owning someone’s work is the safest way to participate in their lifestory.

a s u r p r i s i ng consequence of my attempts to sell my Facebook profile was that I gained more friends. My value is rising. My puny sales attempt is nothing compared to the man who placed his belongings on Huuto.net with the promotional slogan “When the stuff’s sold, I’ll leave where the palm-trees grow”. He eventually sold everything for 44,007 €. As people focused on the hero of the story the guy who bought the other man’s life has remained silent. He simply continued the game where the other logged off. F 058

LAURA KÖÖNIKKÄ DROPS YOU A

LINE AT THE END OF THE DAY

SUBJECT: YOU TALKIN’ TO ME? — WELL I’M THE ONLY ONE HERE

e a di n g m ag a z i n e s has always been a way to relax for me. A getaway. Piles of different mags swaying on the shelves and tables makes me feel cosy and wise. Yes, laugh — I know it sounds a bit cuckoo. Let me have my fantasy. Usually the magazines that are not thrown away are the art and culture journals. Art, and even articles and pics about it, are often too valuable and nice to be thrown in the recycling bin, even if the issues would go out-of-date. As I started at FRAME, I had the idea to have a new magazine presenting Finnish art and topics around it. My idea was to look around and see what’s happening — right now. Not yesterday, not tomorrow nor in the next millennium. I believe you can involve all of that in an article, if you just look at the subjects close enough. I wanted to have a magazine that could capture the atmosphere of the Finnish contemporary art scene. To interview artists as human beings — true thinkers. To show art works, publications and people behind the scenes. Finland has only a few art magazines — lonely riders in the field — writing about Finnish art. And usually everything is written in Finnish. To be an island is a romantic idea but not reality. I hope we at Framer can make bridges between these islands. To be saved from the paper bin. To be a getaway. To be framer. F

THE WRITING OF THIS LETTER WAS POWERED BY COFFEE.

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• • • A MAGAZINE a b o u t a r t a b ov e t h e r e s t, p u b l i s h e d by Frame Finnish Fund f or A rt E x han g e . O r d e r THE 2 ND ISSUE OF F r a m e r d i r e c t ly to yo u r h o m e d o o r BY e- m a i l ING yo u r n a m e a n d a d d r e s s to f ramer @ f rame- f und. f i

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[READ WHAT THEY WERE THINKING, GO TO PAGE 44],

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