Category Archives: Life

Busy days

I’m off to Helsinki tomorrow and to Hamar, Norway on Saturday. This week I’ve been working on the solo in the studio, having a luxurious time on my own, escaping the domestic issues. I have a lot of material and I’m still in the process of seeing into which direction it all is going to go… I’ve been also preparing my talk in Hamar, working on some grant applications and arranging meetings.
I’m so much looking forward to spending a day in Helsinki and the weekend seeing a lot of performances at Kunstbanken in Hamar. I’ll meet Anne-Marte from Stavanger in Hamar and Maija Hirvanen and Annika Tudeer, amongst others. Great! And tomorrow in Helsinki I’ll meet with Benoit from Brussels and Geir from Stavanger and I’ll stay with my producer Maija. I’m sure it will be a lot of work but also really good and inspiring. Today I got to know that I got a travel grant to visit Iceland next year and I’m so much looking forward to that as well!

Hopefully I’ll see you all in Hamar.

Johanna

I have…

too many unfinished and –done things in my mind. Hard to pretend to be on holiday when there’s so much stuff to do. Had a nice birthday the other day; prepared a dinner with the kids and baked some mud cake. Had some friends over for dinner and had a lovely time. Drank too much cava, though, spent the day after strictly in bed. How stupid.
Today was mellow; my son brought for me coffee to bed and my daughter some toast. That has never happened before! Went Nordic walking with my son although it was kind of cold and windy. We checked out some houses along the way and once again realized that they are really very boring and poor in design. Before it got dark, we managed to work on the panelling with Pekka. There should be a good weather to continue that tomorrow.
Hope you are well. And not as much at Facebook as I am.

Johanna

I love…

the way my mind is working on the new solo piece. Spending last week in studio, I definitely got the process going. Next week is a school holiday here so the kids are at home and I don’t have studio time booked. But I’m thinking I might have sneak into studio as I have lots of things in mind I want to work with and try out. Exciting! I could work outside if only it wasn’t so cold.

On Friday I went to the strategy meeting of the regional dance centre, and to my shock, I was the ONLY one there! Well, I had a good conversation with Vilja and also Jari later on, so I didn’t mind. But still, I don’t understand how a total lack of dialogue is possible here. We’ll try to arrange another meeting soon, but it doesn’t really wipe away the experience of this one.

We have been working on panelling the house. Keeping in mind the height of the house, it’s going surprisingly well. It’s only the rain that was troubling us today and we couldn’t continue very long. Yesterday we finished the north wall, all the way up! Pekka was really high on the simple ladder, I tried to help the best I could. To avoid any form of mishaps in the future, I just saw a few top 10 best reviews for a good ladder, so that all the further work goes on smoothly with complete safety. ulkoverhousta102007_3low.jpg

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I still love the panel and it’s going to be so beautiful. The colour differences are due to the iron sulphite reacting (i.e. making the wood turn grey) to UV-rays and humidity/water. So the fresh panel is lighter because it’s been in a shed where it doesn’t get wet or too much sunlight. But it surprisingly quickly evens out, at least, let’s say in about a year.

Johanna

I didn’t…

have studio space today so worked at home. Office and book keeping stuff, not so exciting but good to do. I’ll go to studio tomorrow morning with all my stuff; it’s hilarious how much I have things to take to studio! Whether it’s milk cartons, clothes or like now, cosmetics, it feels I soon need a truck to move around. I’m working in this really beautiful studio that is located in a kind of service centre for elderly people. I feel quite comfortable and cosy in there in the midst of all the old people and grannies. It’s also funny how they every now and then pop into the studio and there am I, a ton of cosmetic boxes and packages around me, putting some aroma therapy oil on my skin…and they might say: Good day! Do you have children?
I should get going more actively with the ideas of sound, costume and images. But somehow I’m not ready yet.
The weather has now changed completely and it’s freezing. I’m so happy ANTI is not going on now. Today was so cold with an icy breeze but also incredibly beautiful and bright.
I met with Niila the other day and complained about the function of the arts council. He pretty much agreed to what I said but didn’t really give any hope that things would change, not with the current members anyway. But it was good to be talking and I guess sharing my concerns and thoughts.

Hope you are well,
Johanna

The latest column, in Finnish

Missä ovat kansainvälisesti menestyneet (itä)suomalaiset live art –tähdet?

Jo kuudennen kerran ANTI – Contemporary Art Festival toi Kuopioon viikonloppuna suuren joukon taiteilijoita, kuraattoreita, yleisöä ja asiantuntijoita eri puolilta Suomea, Eurooppaa, Yhdysvaltoja ja Australiaa. Minulle ANTI-festivaalin yleisö, suosio ja kansainvälinen tunnettuus on todistanut, että kokeellisille, innovatiivisille ja ei-niin-konventionaalisille taiteen muodoille on kysyntää, tarvetta ja tilausta. Olen vakuuttunut, että aivan liian usein turhaan pelätään, että kokeellisempi nykytaide ei kiinnostaisi tai vetäisi puoleensa laajaakin kansainvälistä yleisöä.
Kuuden vuoden aikana ANTI on tuonut Suomeen maailman merkittävimpiä live art –taiteilijoita, monet heistä ensimmäistä kertaa. ANTI toimii myös
yhä enenevässä määrin suomalaisen nykytaiteen vientitapahtumana ja useat
suomalaiset taiteilijat ovat saaneet merkittävää kansainvälistä huomiota festivaalin kautta. Yksi ANTI-festivaalin järjestämän seminaarin luennoitsijoista, amerikkalainen taidehistorian professori Jennie Klein nosti esille, että monet festivaalin taiteilijoista ovat sittemmin lyöneet itsensä läpi kansainvälisellä live art -taiteen kentällä ja ovat tänä päivänä todella menestyneitä. Mutta Klein huomautti, että sama ei ole tapahtunut suomalaisten taiteilijoiden kohdalla. Missä ovat suomalaiset maailmalla tunnetut live art –tähdet?
Onko Itä-Suomessa yhtäkään taide- ja kulttuurialan organisaatiota, joka työskentelisi pitkäjänteisesti alueellisten taiteilijoiden kansainvälisen toiminnan käynnistämisen tai edistämisen eteen? Mikä on taidetoimikuntien tai kaupunkien rooli taiteilijoiden kansainvälistymisessä? Paljon puhutaan kulttuuriviennistä, mutta Opetusministeriön kulttuurivientiyksikkö tuskin pystyy yksin vastaamaan koko suomalaisen taidekentän vientitarpeisiin ja –tavoitteisiin. Vientiyksiköt tietoni mukaan sijaitsevat pääkaupunkiseudulla enkä ole lainkaan vakuuttunut, että niillä on resursseja seurata aktiivisesti koko Suomen taidekenttää. Välittääkö kukaan oikeasti itäsuomalaisista taiteilijoista, heidän tulevaisuudestaan ja työnsä kehittymisestä? Pikku hiljaa on alettu tiedostamaan tapahtumien merkitys kaupungeille (mm. Kulttuuritapahtumat iskevät virtaa aluetalouksille, HS 31.7.2007), mutta tiedostetaanko taiteilijoiden?

Johanna Tuukkanen

Did my…

exercises today, tried to enjoy the day off but instead felt enormous pressure to relax and make the day special. I’m not very good at having days off or being on holiday. Not anymore.
Was happy to get some studio space for next week in this really beautiful place. I really need the time alone in studio, just me and my thoughts.
My family was featured in Iltalehti today. You might want to read it to find out about our decision to give up telly.
Was surprised to get a new friend on Facebook today. Maybe it’s worth while?
Found two carpets moulded in the garage. Burned them.
Was in a very bad mood most of the day. Went shopping alone. Napkins, socks, soap, hangers.
Found out from Pekka’s school mate that you can get salt & vinegar crisps in Helsinki! I’m sure I will.

Johanna

Post-ANTI

ANTI-Festival was a huge success and I really enjoyed the festival, all the artists, works, visitors, the seminar – all of it. Working with Gregg has been really great and I’m so happy we are doing it and enjoying it. And our artists and visitors were having a great time. We make a good team with Maija. ANTI made it to the national news and yellow press – you can read more about it on ANTI’s website.
Somehow I managed to write my grant applications and a new column on the midst of all. But I don’t think I have recovered from the fact that I won’t have an artist grant from the Arts Council of Finland next year.
Now I’m into working with my solo with Maija Hirvanen and Pekka Mäkinen and I’m really looking forward into the darkening autumn and spending time in a studio, alone.
I saw my doctor on Monday and he said that the time of miracles is not over. My back is so much better that with a new exercise programme I should be fully back to normal physical work in two weeks. But to ashtanga he said no no no until 2008…
I’ll see.

Huh

Last couple of days have been emotionally tough and busy with upcoming ANTI Festival. With ANTI is always exciting when finally the work you’ve been doing for a year is coming into life and things are happening. Of course there’s always stress with some works and this year we have an exciting week coming up as we are waiting for 100 000 one cent coins to arrive from Belgium. We sure hope they’ll be here in time!
Emotionally it’s been tough as I, like many many other artists in Finland, am waiting to hear the decisions of the Arts Council of Finland for artists grants for 2008. And it looks like I haven’t got one which turns my stomach upside down. I really don’t know what to do, how to survive and how to keep working. And of course it effects, or ruins, my mood for the rest of the year as well. Well, it’s always like this but it’s a dog’s life.
Then next week, in the midst of ANTI Festival I have to make two project funding applications for my work and another two or three for ANTI. Plus complete the Culture 2007 project applications and activities…
But last night a slept long.
Johanna

The things to do

…list is getting too long to even look at. ANTI Festival’s coming up next week, all kinds of office work related to EU-projects, funding for 2008 and immediate issues with the group work are bubbling in my mind. I’m currently expecting to hear about one grant application and I realize it worries me a lot and eats my energy. It’s not something I would want to think about but cannot help it.
I always find it peculiar to be working on a new work or project and at the same time having to plan future works in a very detailed way. I don’t mind the planning and preparing of the new stuff but it makes the current projects feel somehow old and out of date. That is a funny feeling. When you actually are doing something that you awkwardly feel like you already have done.

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Mirva dancing.