Cow Tails or Bunk Beds?

The works in the ARS 11 exhibition pose some difficult questions for the Kiasma acquisitions committee. Purchases are made as much on the basis of the work’s degree of interest as on the always meagre financial resources. All works cannot be bought for the collection. So how are the final choices made?

Should the collection be augmented with photographs of sculptural Nigerian headwraps and hairstyles, or of an electronic waste dump in Ghana? Should the museum purchase a construction of cow tails mirroring the shape of a Swazi hut, or a tower constructed from bags and bunk beds from a refugee camp? It is questions like these that the Kiasma acquisitions committee considers when making purchases from the ARS 11 exhibition.

And what about the crowd puller of the show, which work will it be? Will it be the net of scrap metal on the wall, or perhaps the Khoikhoi-language lullaby that stays in the mind? Will the opinions of the public match those of the art experts?

HIGH QUALITY CONTEMPORARY ART

ARS 11 is diverse, both in terms of its structure and as regards the ownership of the works in it. All the works are not available for purchase. Some are on loan from artists, others from galleries or private collectors. Some are the result of the artist working in Finland, or were created directly on-site as a response to the museum space.

The aim of Kiasma is to purchase topical, interesting and high-quality contemporary art from abroad that transcends national or geographical borders. The focus of acquisitions is on nearby regions, however. Over the years, the ARS series has not only provided impressive exhibitions but also great opportunities to purchase international art.

MEAGRE FUNDS

Purchases of international art are limited by the scarcity of acquisition funds. The funds have not grown annually to meet the needs. It often happens that important works of contemporary art cannot be bought because of insufficient funds. In 2011 Kiasma has a total of 455 000 euros for purchases, which is 135 000 euros more than in a standard year.

The diversity of materials in contemporary artworks is a continuous challenge to the museum’s conservators. When deciding on acquisitions, we must consider the life cycle of the work, the condition and preservation of the materials used in it. The maintenance of technical solutions and the purchase of spare parts also require money.

ARS LEAVES A MARK

While the works in the ARS 11 exhibition are linked to Africa, their themes are universal. One already confirmed purchase is the sculptural textile piece by the Nigerian artist Otobong Nkanga. The title of the work, Fragilologist’s Predicament, points to both fragility and a science of the fragile. The pictorial elements in the piece are connected with netlike string. If the string breaks, the entire construction collapses. Nkanga wants to show how everything can change in just a single moment. The world as one knows it can collapse at the blow of a tsunami.

Another acquisition is the video installation Secretly I Will Love You More by the South African artist Andrew Putter. The work raises the topical issue of cultural clashes between immigrants and locals.

Kiasma also received the work The Nun as a donation from the artist Elina Saloranta. In the photographic series, Saloranta investigates the tradition of Christian missionary work in Africa and the related imagery. Saloranta has had her picture taken in Zambia, dressed as a nun.

The interest in contemporary art awakened by the exhibition is reflected very concretely in the selection of works purchased for the Kiasma collections. ARS 11 will leave a permanent mark on Finland.

Eija Aarnio