Colonial Secrets

Now, I'm a fairly well-connected guy. I like to think I know what's happening around me in my areas of interest. But occasionally, things slip by, and I found out at the last minute that something is happening which I had no idea about. Why is this?

Just now I was chatting with a friend, and he mentioned that there is a seminar in Rovaniemi next month. Apparently it's been arranged by a bunch of people in Helsinki. They'll come here, then go to Lofoten in Norway.

The funny thing about this is that, although - as I understand it - it is supposed to be an open seminar, nobody here knows about it. So it begs the question: how open is it really?

From what I gather (and this will remain my opinion until proven otherwise), it seems that this event has been arranged so that a bunch of (I hate to use the term again but what the hell) southerners have arranged a nice trip for themselves to the north under artistic pretenses with no intention of involving anyone actually living here (at least in Rovaniemi) or encouraging them to participate.

I have to admit I am, as an artist living here, a little offended by this. I wonder why I'm not included in this private excursion, and excluded from all the nice parties that will undoubtedly be the focus of the event.

It brings to mind another recent exclusionary event - that of 'Rethinking Nordic Colonialism', the final event arranged by NIFCA. It's a little difficult to write about that because, again, Magneetti worked with them to get the Veturitalli after the exhibition finished, but there were issues there which I'll come to later.

So anyway, Rethinking Nordic Colonialism (or RNC to save my late night typing problems). NIFCA arranges a group of artists to come to Rovaniemi and show works. How many of the artists were from Rovaniemi? How many artist groups from Lapland were directly involved in planning the project?

None. There are contemporary artists living and working here - as I've mentioned before, it's not all porotaide (reindeer art).

Does anything seem odd that no artistic input was sought from the north? There's that little word in the RNC title: colonialism.

How could an arts institution as influential and aware as NIFCA arrange a traveling exhibition exploring issues of south-north colonialism and then create it in such a way that it was inherently colonialist? The exhibition seemed to be saying "finally, you people in Lapland can see some 'real' art". Yes indeed, 'real' art made by people not from here, living elsewhere, and presented to us by an organization based in the south to inform us and illustrate how we have been oppressed by power residing elsewhere.

Another not so funny thing happened over the Veturitalli arrangements. We managed to negotiate the use of Veturitalli after the RNC exhibition. As you may know we had big plans which came to nothing in the end, but anyway... Veturitalli was quite messy before NIFCA arrived and I agreed to help them by clearing out all the junk from the space. NIFCA then put down boards to cover the train servicing areas and made other constructions to tidy up the place and get it working. After we got the keys to Veturitalli, I got a phone call from one of the curators asking if Magneetti could contribute something to the costs of these boards and other equipment - some 2000€ if I recall. (Un)fortunately, Magneetti had/has no budget so we couldn't afford to pay for them, and when I explained this NIFCA kindly agreed to leave the boards there for us. However, a few weeks later I spoke to Anu Riestola from the Arts Council of Lapland, and she told me that the Arts Council had given NIFCA a grant to pay for these boards and materials. So why were we asked to pay for them?

NIFCA were actually very lucky. They had cut corners with what they were supposed to do with the money, utilizing it elsewhere. This, to be honest, is not unusual and I don't have a problem with it. Anu had a different point of view of course but in my experience you have to get money from where you can without any guarantees of funding, and if its necessary to fiddle the accounts and where the money goes then fair enough. It's hard enough putting together an event without much funding, ou have to cut corners somewhere. But I was a bit annoyed - it felt like we were being 'played' by NIFCA when we weren't even a part of the project in any real form.

The corners they cut could have got them in bigger trouble though. The roof of Veturitalli has some serious leaks. Big leaks. The kind of leaks where if it rains water gushes down from the roof in torrents. I warned them about this but apparently they did nothing. Fortunately for them it didn't rain during the exhibition, because one of these leaks would have sent water rushing down directly over one of the artist's installations and onto two flat-screen TVs. I imagine that would have caused quite a bang.

But to end back with the theme of secret seminars and colonialism: although I happily hope to be proven otherwise, history seems to be repeating itself again with another event arranged 'for' us which nobody knows about. If anyone has any information on this new exclusive seminar/event I'd be happy to hear it and eager to have my presumptions challenged.

Technorati Tags: art, colonialism, magneetti, NIFCA

Say NO to Reindeer Art!

I get tired of the attitude I frequently get from southerners - most often Helsinki people - that the only thing in Rovaniemi is darkness, mosquitoes and reindeer. But the blame for this phenomenon cannot be laid entirely with the people. This received 'wisdom' comes from how Northern Finland is represented in the media, and perhaps more disconcertingly, from how the north (and Rovaniemi) represents itself.

Here is a classic example: Rovaniemi city has announced it's latest and greatest cultural program, to involve and celebrate the arts and artists in the region. Exciting no? Rovaniemi's head of culture Marja Widenius excitedly announced the name of the project recently, and it is....wait for it....

Reindeer Parade

YES! Excellent! Just what we need! More reindeer references!

What is going on with Rovaniemi city? What is the obsession with Reindeer? More importantly: What do reindeer have to do with the arts?

The answer is simple: absolutely nothing. Once again Widenius reveals that she is unaware of contemporary artistic issues.

It seems that Rovaniemi city is unable to distinguish between nature and the arts. Perhaps I can assist in this problem by clarifying things for them.

Reindeer are medium-sized animals which roam the country freely eating mostly lichen. They are farmed. Their meat is used as a food product and sold in shops. Their fur and other leftovers are sold on to tourists as gimmicky souvenirs.

Art, on the other hand, is a means of expression of ideas and concepts. 'Artists' are people who work in different media producing 'art' (hence the name).

Now, here's the confusing bit, so pay attention: They are not the same thing. Reindeer are never artists. Artists are very rarely cut up and eaten. Artists are not farmed (although some graduates from the more critical art universities might argue with this). Reindeer never receive artist grants. I know this is very difficult to grasp, but it is absolutely essential: Reindeer have absolutely nothing to do with art.

I would like to continue to educate the staff of Rovaniemi's cultural department for a moment longer if you will permit me.

Although reindeer are very nice, and taste delicious, their mere presence does NOT mean that every artist in Lapland feels an urgent need to paint, photograph or otherwise represent reindeer.

This distinction between 'REINDEER' and 'ART' is important because it highlights another distinction which it would appear that many people - especially those in power - are unaware of. That is the distinction between 'ARTS' and 'CRAFTS'.

This is a little more problematic, so it's no surprise that Rovaniemi City Culture Dept. has some difficulties with it. Again let me clarify things. The arts could be said to comment on society. In one way or another artistic representation is a commentary which is filtered through the artist. Of course it gets much more complicated than this, but this is a blog not a BA in art history. Art is often produced at the inner behest of the artist, and is shown in places called 'galleries'. Although these galleries purport to sell art, very little is actually ever sold and most artists never dream of making any money. The crafts, however, although they might comment of some aspects of society, generally utilize local materials to produce material objects. Often these are sold in craft shops (a number of which can be found in Rovaniemi). Many craft practitioners aim to sell their works and make some form of living.

This is not to devalue either the arts or crafts. Both have their place in society. Both contribute to the wealth of experiences, emotions and activities that make humanity so occasionally wonderful (when we are not shooting or bombing the hell out of each other).

What I am trying to show here is that 'reindeer' has more to do with 'crafts' then with 'arts'. Craftspersons might make objects out of reindeer horn. I believe beer bottle openers are quite popular here. This is a good example - a beer bottle opener is not art, unless it is also more than a beer bottle opener. If, for example, I were to attach a beer bottle opener to a stuffed whole reindeer and exhibit it in a gallery, you might get away with calling that art because at the same time as being a beer bottle opener it is a comment on the industry of reindeer farming and tourism. It would NOT be a celebration of how wonderful reindeer are. This is another important point: just because it is art and it features a reindeer does not necessarily mean it is a celebration of the reindeer.

Perhaps I have complicated matters too much now. But in any case I hope my point has become clear. An arts event called 'Reindeer Parade' indicates a severe misunderstanding of both culture and the arts.

Unless the ridiculous attitude that the reindeer is some form of metaphorical signifier for art in the Northern Finland is constantly and repeatedly challenged we will be stuck with inaccurate opinions of life in Lapland. It just adds ammunition to the barrage of misinformed comments from those southerners!

So please join me, and say 'NO' to reindeer art.


Additional note:
In 2006 Rovaniemi entered the 'Cultural Capital' competition. The cover of the application featured - you guessed it - a reindeer.

Interestingly, although Magneetti were asked to write a resume of our plans for contemporary art in Rovaniemi for the application (which we happily did), this was cut from the application at the last minute. No mention of Magneetti appeared.

Rovaniemi did not win the Cultural Capital competition.

Uncritical Mass

In a recent issue of 'Voima' magazine Outi Nyytäjä wrote that there is a severe lack of criticism - by which I mean REAL criticism - in Finlnad. People are afraid to state strong opinions, to name names, to take a position. Even those who do make their opinions known and are perceived as being radical are often only expressing conservative viewpoints. I would wholeheartedly agree with this position. I am therefore going to use this blog as a forum for my -often extreme- critical opinions. Some people won't like this.

I imagine, for example, if I were to criticize some of the grant-giving institutions in Finland, or if I were to criticize certain persons in positions of cultural power in local government that this would make life more difficult for me as an artist in Finland. I imagine that such institutions would have second thoughts about giving me grants and supporting my work. I even fear the possibility that biting the hand that feeds me might result in me starving, quite literally, through a sudden withdrawal of financial support.

But if that were to happen, what would it say about the country we live in? About democratic values of free speech? If people in power were to be offended by my words and withhold funding, what would that say about the Finnish arts system?

It would reveal that the culturally powerful wield their power undemocratically. It would show that the Finnish arts system is based more on a soviet-style dictatorship, where friends are given high positions, the unqualified are handed inappropriate jobs, the qualified are punished unfairly because their opinions do not match those of the powerful, where professional jealously pervades and pollutes the artistic environment, where free thought and new ideas are not encouraged, where potential is ignored in preference to personal profit.

Does any of that sound familiar? Is it already too late?

The only way to change an ineffective, archaic and out of touch system is to directly combat through action, words, art. To make the problems more visible, and to hold the people who cause the problems accountable.

And there is the key word: accountability. For too long the art administrative elite have been unaccountable. They make decisions without consultations with artists, handing down didacts on the direction of the arts both locally and nationally.

Finland is drastically behind the times in the arts. It is as though postmodernism never happened here. The Finnish arts excelled during modernism, but the arts have never moved beyond this. There is such a resistance to taking risks with art that it has stagnated. It has become a stinking pool of rotting ideas.

It is time to change this. But in order to change this, there needs to be a change in administration. Out with the old, in with the new. It is the time for direct engagement. If the boards and power-holders can't handle the heat, then get out of the kitchen.

Finland has reached uncritical mass. It is time to reverse the trend, to hit the restart button. If the arts is truly operated on a soviet-style system, then to change it we must adopt similar tools. Soviet regimes were constantly undergoing changes of personnel, under the guise of the purge. This is what is needed: an arts purge. A coup d'etat. Regime change. And it's needed now.