Front page
 Museum of Contemporary Art, Kiasma 29 May to 8 September, 2004, Fourth floor An exhibition of photographs collected by the Central Art Archives, The Artist in the Picture, presents Finnish artists working during the 140 years' time. It is organised in with the Artists' Association of Finland, and it celebrates the 140th anniversary of the association. The Artist in the Picture presents Finnish artists working from the beginnings of photography in the 1860s until the present day. It starts from the foundation of the Artists' Association in 1864. The photographs show not only changes in the status of Visual Art, but also the changing roles of the artist, bohemianism, nationalistic symbols, and professionalism. The exhibition illuminates the images of creative work as portrayed by these photographs of artists and their studios; it also shows that photography has by no means lost its significance in establishing the public image of the artists. The exhibition constitutes four parts: the first, and also the largest in quantity, concentrates on more than a century of the history of photographs of artists and studios. The second presents established photographers and their photographs from the 1950s onwards. The third part of the exhibition is a joint project by the department of photography at the University of Art and Design (Taik/UIAH), Helsinki, and the Central Art Archives ; and it shows photographic documentation of Finnish artist at work in 2002-2004. The fourth part of the exhibition shows historical documentaries from the Central Art Archives. The exhibition publication The Artist in the Picture is published by the art publishing house Kustannus Oy Taide and the Central Art Archives, and edited by Erkki Anttonen, Elina Heikka, Otso Kantokorpi, and Liisa Lindgren. The photographs of the artists and their studios from the 1860s to the 2000s also illuminate the changing roles of the artist. A member of gentry, or a bohemian, a nationalistic symbol and a professional - the photographs give a wide and historical perspective to the changing roles of the artist. There is no difference between the artists making old visiting cards and the calm and composed bourgeoisie burghers. When the artists became the property of a nation, images of the most important artists were needed for public use, in addition to photos meant for private use as mementoes to friends and family. In the 1920s the Strindberg art gallery sold a whole series of photographic postcards, including cards for artists' "fans". At the time also pictures of Wäino Aaltonen were being published in the media - a phenomenon with a scope that still lacks an equal in Finland. The social changes meant that the image of the sublime artist was more likely to be tuned down, but after more mundane image of the artist of the 1960s and 1970s, the portraits of the 1980s reveal a return of artistness. External circumstances of being an artist have met with significant changes during the past 140 years. Nevertheless, the diverse nature of the artist's studio has not changed. The place, a craftsman's or an artist's workshop is also a space that can be described as mental, a space of the creative mind. The studios or workshops vary from well-equipped monumental studios to damp cellars, or from spacious, perfectly lit studios to dark, cramped attic rooms. The portraits of the artists of the first decade of the 21st century were made by University of Art and Design students. In 2002-2004, they photographed the work of 19 contemporary artists and their lives, each student following one artist. The articles of The Artist in the Picture discuss the images revealed by the photographs of the sate of visual arts and artists, and the notion of creativity portrayed in the photographs. The articles also consider the images of artists' studios as presented in literature, and also the way journalists found their way into the studios of Finnish artists working abroad in the 19th century. The book celebrates the 140th jubilee of the Artists' Association. Quite appropriately, Finnish photographic art and the Artists' Association of Finland are about the same age. For further information about the exhibition on the Museum of Contemporary Art home page at www.kiasma.fi Top of the page |
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| Museum of Contemporary Art, Kiasma 29 May to 8 September, 2004, Fourth floor Vision and Mind -exhibition |
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