PROJEKTEJA | PROJECTS

I have been working through various projects roughly from 2005 onwards, my curatorial practice has been tied in with running a small art space called Alkovi in Helsinki from the year 2009 onwards. I am the manager and curator behind the activity of this display window exhibition space together with my partner artist Arttu Merimaa. In addition to the exhibition programme and occational screenings we organize various projects that stem from our interest in artistic practice. ALKOVI | www.alkovi.site

(2016- ) Connecting Points- programme at HIAP (Helsinki International Artist Programme, Residency organization) The programme that I curate with my partner Arttu Merimaa is focused on enabling collaboration and exchange between Finnish and Russian art practitioners (artists, curators, researches). HIAP | www.hiap.fi/project/connecting-points

(2017)Loistava Aika – Purnu 50th anniversary exhibition. We curated an exhibition to the Art Center in Finland called PURNU in which we presented artworks from the artists that participated on the first exhibition held at Purnu in 1967 as well as contemporary artists. The artists were: Taisto Ahtola, Erik Enroth, Unto Koistinen, Pentti Melanen, Ernst Mether-Borgström, Tuulikki Pietilä, Aimo Tukiainen and Päivikki Alaräihä, Liinu Grönlund, Jaakko Pallasvuo & Anni Puolakka, Nestori Syrjälä and Elina Vainio. LOISTAVA AIKA - webpage

(2015) Young Artists and Curating – project, exhibition/publication, curator, Helsinki Paulo Fund and The Academy of Fine Arts invited a group of young curators to organize an exhibition as well as produce a publication that focuses on recently graduated artists from Finnish art schools. The project that will be presented on August in Exhibition Project Room focuses on collaboration in the art field examining different ways of forming alliances, establishing groups and enabling participation. Participating artists were two working duos: Maarit Mustonen & Anne Naukkarinen, Elina Ylhäisi & Jemina Lindholm. The online publication pppsss.fi was designed by GRMXXI-collective.

2014 (& 2013) Work It Out – workshop, KUNO – course, Academy of Fine Arts, curator, Helsinki, Finland This workshop explored exhibiting conditions. It was held in Helsinki including a visit to Tallinn and it was attended by 16 master lever students from different Nordic universities. Guest lecturers were choreographer Mårten Spånberg, curator Elina Suoyrjö, curator Jenny Richars, curator Kati Ilves and artist Merike Estna, including a performance by Ossi Koskelainen and Emmi Venna. I was a part of the curator team that created, planned and organized the workshop. Other members included Saara Hannus, Satu Herrala and Jussi Koitela. This was the second edition of the project the first was held in 2013.

2014 In this climate – Under these circumstances – project, curator, Art Prospect Festival St. Petersburg, Russia Alkovi / Miina Hujala & Arttu Merimaa participated on the festival by initiating a project called "In This Climate - Under These Circumstances" by inviting artists Tatu Engeström, Jaakko Karhunen & Aino-Marjatta Mäki, Pekka Niittyvirta and Sauli Sirviö to take part by each submitting a photograph to be placed at the windows of a grocery shop at Michurinskaya Street in St. Petersburg. IN THIS CLIMATE UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES | alkovi.linnake.net/artprospect2014.html

2014 Participation on Kunstvlaai – platform for experimental spaces, curator, Amsterdam, Netherlands Alkovi gallery participated on Kunstvlaai – festival by inviting artist Pekka Niittyvirta to make a site-specific installation to the billboard format provided by the festival.

2014 For Your Health Only! – Exhibition and seminar, curator, Kuva/Tila (Academy of Fine Arts), Helsinki, Finland The exhibition dealt with questions of wellfare and society through works from artists Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen, Kaisa Salmi, Veera Jalava, Timo Tähkänen and students Joakim Pusenius, Iiris Kaarlehto, Josefiina Nelimarkka and Océane Bruel. I was part of the curatorial team.

2014- Multilingualism and Art – publication and web project, curator/producer Alkovi instigated a project that deals with the hegemony of english language and liguistic determination of art. The project is available as a publication consisting of commissioned texts from the exhibitions of Tanja Koponen, Wona Cho, Saara-Maria Kariranta & Pekka Niittyvirta, Tatu Engeström, Riikka Aresalo, Happy Magic Society (Mikko Kuorinki & Essi Kausalainen), Thomas Westphal & Sari Palosaari, Pekka Niskanen, Anna Estarriola, Otto Karvonen, Taneli Rautiainen and Jon Irigoyen as well through a web site that consists of commissioned and selected works from artists Mariona Mouncil, Timo Bredenberg, John Willgren and Post Brothers. The project continues and functions as a platform that portrays different aspects of the functioning of language in the context of art discourse. THOELATLDOA | kieli.linnake.net

2013 The Act Of Filming as An Osmotic Force – screening, curator, The Recidency Unlimited, New York City I curated a screening together with Arttu Merimaa that dealth with the diffusing aspect in the act of filming. The screening consisted of works from Maija Timonen, Timo Bredenberg, Sari Tervaniemi, Iidu Tikkanen, and Emilia Ukkonen and was shown in the former church building functioning as the office for the Recidency Unlimited Brooklyn-based residency organization.

2011 Swapping The Practices- project, curator/producer, Helsinki, Finland This Alkovi-project consisted of workshop and a hour-long documentary made from it. We invited artists to come and work with a pair that they selected for themselves over the period of a wekend, and to discuss their practices with each other. The focus was on the exchange of thoughts and the joined collegial settings for deliberating what constitutes artistic practice. By ”swapping” their individual approaches and aspiring to explain to others as well as to the camera what they were doing artists explored the conditions of their work practice. The participating artists were Diego Bruno, Jaakko Karhunen, Lauri Wuolio, Jussi Koitela, Essi Kausalainen, Kati Ruohomäki, Pasi Autio, Wilma Hurskainen and Iidu Tikkanen.SWAPPING THE PRACTICES | www.swappingthepractices.net

2011 Scratch the surface – screening, curator, Cité des Arts- recidency center, Paris, France This screening included works from Timo Vaittinen, Joonas Jokiranta, Sari Tervaniemi, Konsta Ojala and Mikko Keskiivari & Päivi Viinikainen.

2010 25th Hour of Kallio-project participating on Media Facades - festival, curator/producer, Helsinki, Finland In collaboration with media culture organization M-Cult Alkovi made a workshop project in where a group of artists worked for a weekend in the neighbourhood of Kallio to produce videoworks to be displayed instantly after in the public dosplay window space of Alkovi gallery located in the same area. The works were a constillation of the atmosphere and life around the city but portrayed through variety of tactis from pseudo-advertisements, to web search-based animations to documentary tactics. Participating artists were Maria Candia, Mikko Keskiivari, Hannele Kirjavainen, Mari Keski-Korsu, Kalle Kuisma, Sari Palosaari, Kristiina Puukari, Johanna Raekallio, Sari Tervaniemi, Tytti Viljanen, Eero Yli-Vakkuri. KALLION 25.TUNTI - 25th Hour of Kallio

2010 “Scratch The Surface” –screening, curator, OX-Bow- School and Art recidency, Saugatuck, Michigan, USA This screening included works from Timo Vaittinen, Joonas Jokiranta, Sari Tervaniemi, Konsta Ojala and Mikko Keskiivari & Päivi Viinikainen and was held in the Ox-Bow School of Art and recidency that is affiliated with the Chicago Art Institute.

2008 Uutishuoltamo-experimental news media, Huoltamo gallery, Tampere, Finland Miina Hujala, Arttu Merimaa and Paula Lehtonen created a temporary news agency at a small gallery space in Tampere. Functioning as an online news platform that produced weekly 7-10 news stories consising of cultural and urban topics it also served as a media art installation and performance visitable every Friday during a live newscast.UUTISHUOLTAMO (uutishuoltamo.linnake.net)

2008 PIIPSHOW-videoworkshop, organizer, Tampere, Finland A workshop that invited artists to make videoworks in the duration of one weekend as a part of Taf-festival.

2008 Linnake - art gallery project, producer/curator, Tampere, Finland A temporary project that utilized a vacant street level space to create seven different art exhibitions that changed weekly. I was a curator as well as organizer together with Arttu Merimaa. Artists were Jaakko Himanen, Jere Seppänen, Juhana Moisander, Vappu Jalonen, Sami Sänpäkkilä, Johanna Lonka, Joonas jokiranta, Teija Tyni ja Jenni Rutanen.LINNAKE (linnake.net/linnake_etusivu.html)

2007 Matkamuisti, video insert, TR-1 Contemporary Art Museum, Tampere, Finland A project done together with Pinja Sormunen (currently Valja) where we interwied politicians and artists about their travel memories.

2006 Open Bikelane – happening, Central Square, Tampere, Finland A demostrative happening where during Europe day where we wanted to raise awareness of the issues around mobility.

2006 Timanttimaa- happening, member of production, MAA-TILA Gallery, Helsinki, Finland A performance happening organized in Maa-Tila gallery.

2005 KUIN - Performance Art event, member of production, Tampere, Finland A performance event organized in old factory in Tampere. One night event that included performances from Irma Optimisti, Joose Keskitalo and Kalle Raja ja tilalliset.