Towards ARS

ARS 01 is Kiasma's international major exhibition, presenting some 70 artists throughout the world. The Exhibition will occupy the whole building and Kiasma Theatre's programme is also a part of the Exhibition. The theme in ARS 01 is the 'third space' – a result of different visual cultures encountering each other. Such encounters have become more frequent owing, for example, to accelerated migration. On the other hand, information channels have rapidly developed and, thus, increased interaction between cultures.

The Exhibition was assembled by a 4-member curator group: Maaretta Jaukkuri, Patrik Nyberg and Jari-Pekka Vanhala from Kiasma and Tuula Arkio from the Finnish National Gallery. During 2000 and 2001, the curators travelled across South and North America, Asia and Europe familiarising themselves with artists and their works.

Intercultural interaction has seen a rapid increase. Migration and the information overflow in the contemporary world have caused a radical change. Tourism and popular culture accelerate rapid dispersion of phenomena and influences throughout the world. Third space is a result of different visual cultures encountering each other.

Modern migration is also visible in art. A great number of artists live, either voluntarily or out of necessity, in a diaspora: ARS 01 exhibition displays art by immigrant artists or artists living in an immigrant environment. Their art reflects their original culture and the world of their new place of residence.

Recognition of elements and structures of one's own culture in art helps us to understand a foreign culture in a new way. The target in this is a kind of "understanding enough". The working title for the exhibition, "unfolding perspectives" refers to a new way of viewing art, and simultaneously, the new prospects of art.

Sensory perceptions, for example, how we sense hot or cold , are common to us all, even though some of our experiences are culture-bound. Art which relies on sensory perception has always broken cultural boundaries with natural ease.

Popular culture and kitsch have invaded every corner of the world. Joint, international themes are visible while the imagery retains local colour. The impact of digital design and visual imagery of computers on art are likewise a world-wide phenomenon.

Visual language is a symbolic language based on images, characteristic of a specific culture. Works of art draw influences from one or more visual languages. Hybrids are works which show influences from different cultures simultaneously.

ARS 01
Kiasma
30 Sep 2001 - 20 Jan 2002