Suomenlinna summary

It’s a bit difficult to summarize my experiences at Suomenlinna Island on the NIFCA residency. I met many fantastic people (too many to list so I won’t attempt it), saw some interesting artwork, enjoyed the Finnish summer sunshine, went to the sauna, and indulged in some Finnish cuisine. My days and nights were full.

I particularly enjoyed tasting Vorschmack at the Sea Horse (thanks again for the fun, Chris) and going to my favourite sauna in the Kallio neighbourhood. Lauri and Anne were also a pure pleasure to spend time with, steering groups of us to the coolest bars and restaurants.

In terms of art, I met a lot of great artists and curators – it was especially nice that Alissa Firth-Eagland, a fellow Canadian, was also in residence at NIFCA at the same time. It was excellent to chew the fat about curatorial issues over a glass of wine “at home”. It was great to check out MUU Gallery (Alissa curated a show of video art there that I was thankfully able to catch – arrived in Finland just in time!), and always a pleasure to see what’s on at Kiasma. The ARS 06 exhibition at Kiasma was a bit sprawling and uneven, but there were a few gems that made me really thankful I checked it out. In particular, a piece by Estonian artist Mark Raidpere, “10 Men”, was probably my favourite piece. The video was very simple – looping soundtrack, and ten men (convicts in prison), appear one at a time before the camera, footage slightly slowed down. They pose awkwardly, sometimes humourously. Simple, human, direct, and touching. I watched the loop a couple of times. I also enjoyed the work of Roi Vaara and Maaria Wirkkala.

Also at ARS 06, a humourous moment. A group of grey-haired tourists with vaguely American accents were walking through a hallway, loudly complaining that this was the worst museum they had ever been to, and that the art was “so depressing”. They were walking directly into the path of a work by Polish artist, Monika Sosnowska, “The Fountain”, which is an opening in the ceiling that slowly drips water onto the carpet below. “Watch out”, I said to the group of disgruntled visitors, “or the art might drip on you!” I pointed to the ceiling. Appalled, they squinted at the ceiling, muttered some more barbs at Kiasma, turned around and went the other way. Had they ever been to a contemporary art museum before? Expect the unexpected, and bring an open mind…

My photos of the residency (mostly of food!) are on Flickr if you are curious.

Thanks again to NIFCA.