Author Archives: Johanna

About Johanna

artist and curator

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.

group5

Mirva dancing.

Laundry bliss

Do you know what it feels like to be able to wash clothes after not being able to do it when you need to for two and half months? It’s bliss. And this is not a survival story from a trip to the jungle, this is in the middle of the daily life, in a family of four.
The first load is drying, next one rolling in the machine. I’ve always enjoyed the rhythm of a washing machine. It’s a sound often connected to my yoga practice. It makes me feel safe and at home. It’s nice, in the nicest meaning.

Johanna

Friday, at last

Tiring week behind me. Finished the first rehearsal period with mixed feelings; in many ways I’m very happy with the work we did but at the same time today I felt a kind of hesitation in the rehearsal which made me feel strange. Well, it’s all familiar but still left me thinking about it.
I was setting up my office and went through some papers in my archive. I found a piece of paper with John Cage’s rules and hints and Rule8 really suits my mood:

“Do not try to create and analyze at the same time. They are different processes.”

When I got home I felt really tired. Our plumber was working with Pekka setting up the washing machine and for a moment I felt really happy that things are actually moving on. They didn’t finish the job as some parts were missing (as usual) but I have hope that tomorrow I’ll be able to wash clothes and sheets. A kind of handy possibility in a family of two children…

The new website is up now, thanks to Mladen! At the moment the site is available only in English but we are working on the Finnish version as well. Some information of my works is not up yet but I’m working on it. But if you have any questions in the mean time, don’t hesitate to ask me or Maija, my producer.

And let me know what you think about it!

Johanna