Artists for the Making space for artistry -project’s residencies have been selected
Artists for the residencies and exhibitions of the project Making space for artistry – equality for disabled artists and artists who are Sign Language users have been selected. The selected two artists and two pairs of artists will work in the residencies and prepare solo exhibitions in Tornio and Haparanda during the autumn of 2022. The works will also be exhibited as a group exhibition at the Aine Art Museum in the spring of 2023. The residencies and exhibitions are a collaboration of the selected artists and Culture for All, the Aine Art Museum and the cities of Tornio and Haparanda.
In response to an open call of the Making space for artistry -project we received 32 applications from both Finnish and international artists. The large number of applications surprised the organizers and showed that there is demand for accessible artist residencies and that they are needed. The selection was made by Virpi Kanniainen and Anu Pasanen from the Aine Art Museum, Maija Karhunen and Sari Salovaara from Culture for All and Johanna Mattila from the Cultural Association Finland’s Eucrea.
We received applications from several different fields of art as well as cross-disciplinary proposals. The applications demonstrated skill, creativity and dedication. During the selection process, the jury discussed, among other things, the attractiveness and feasibility of the work plan and the aspects of disability. The jury also discussed, among other things, how the residency would contribute to the artistic development of each applicant. The final selection was also determined by the project’s goal of providing a residency opportunity for both more experienced and emerging disabled artists and artists who are Sign Language users.
The artists selected for the residencies work with both traditional techniques and experimental methods. For the two pairs of artists selected, the sharing of mutual space and the dialogue in the artistic work were found to be particularly interesting.
The artists selected for the residency are:
Sofia Karinen is a 21-year-old Finnish-French visual artist studying at Liminka Art School. In her paintings she focuses on her everyday environment and the surrounding nature.
The artist duo Aino Laiho and Olga Green, who are Sign Language users, will explore the opportunities for joint artistic expression created by safe space, interaction and play. They work experimentally with a variety of techniques and materials.
Kari Toiviainen is a multidisciplinary professional with cerebral palsy. He works in the fields of theater and audiovisual expression. In the residency he will be working on a series of video art works with the local community.
Maarit Hedman and Anu Haapanen will work on an exhibition consisting of mixed media, acrylic paintings and charcoal drawings. In their works, they engage in a dialogue on darkness between an artist who sees and an artist who has lost their sight.
The artists will receive the Kone Foundation’s artist grant to work at the Viippola residency in Tornio and at the Swedish-Finnish Folk High School in Haparanda. The artists will work for varying periods during the autumn of 2022.
Making space for artistry
Making space for artistry – equality for disaled artists and artists who are Sign Language users is an extensive two-year project by Culture for All, funded by the Kone Foundation. The aim is to strengthen the professional opportunities and equal standing of disabled artists and artists who are Sign Language users in the art field. One part of the project are the residencies that are carried out together with the Aine Art Museum and that aim to make space for artists to work on their own terms. For disabled artists and artists who are Sign Language users, working in a residency has so far been almost impossible. Residencies are not accessible and often there is no regard for flexibility or individual support for the artist. Now the aim is to find creative and experimental solutions for disabled artists’ residency work. The aim is also to share the results of the work with other residency actors and the field of art in Finland and internationally.
For more information, please contact:
Maija Karhunen
Project leader
Culture for All Service
maija.karhunen@cultureforall.fi
+358 40 166 2827
Anu Pasanen
museum assistant and producer
Aine Art Museum
anu.pasanen@tornio.fi
+358 50 5971189
