OBJECTS ON OIL

The Mustarinda Association has worked on and deepened the theme of the Helsinki Photography Biennial, which this year concentrates on ecological questions.

Mustarinda has built a section for the exhibition called Objects on Oil, which evaluates the changes in our concept of and relationship with nature from the viewpoints of archives, architecture, forest, and energy.

Objects on Oil brings to the fore the fossil basis of human experience, economic activity, and industrialised societies more widely, and the breaks in our understanding related to this material foundation.

The causal relationships between human actions and nonhuman objects, which in everyday life have been blurred to near-invisibility, will almost inevitably move from the margins of public discussion to the centre of societal development through climate change and the dismantling of the fossil economy. The works in the biennial participate in the identifying and experiential rebuilding of these connections. In addition, the articles in the biennial publication provide theoretical tools for the handling of the situation and for moving forward.

Objects on Oil will be on show at the Finnish Museum of Photography and at Makasiini L3 in Jätkäsaari. It is in dialogue with the part of the exhibition curated by Başak Şenova called Ecological Fallacy.

The Photography in the Age of Fossil Nihilism seminar takes place on 29 March; there professionals from the fields of art and science tackle questions around the biennial’s themes. You are very welcome to the seminar, which is held at Kaapelitehdas, Hima & Sali restaurant from 11 am to 4 pm.

The teams and artists in the artistic research processes organised by Mustarinda:

Archive – researcher of economic culture Paavo Järvensivu, researcher of literature Karoliina Lummaa, Anna-Kaisa Rastenberger (curator, The Finnish Museum of Photography) and Sofia Lahti (amanuensis, The Finnish Museum of Photography)

Architecture – architect Martti Kalliala and writer Jenna Sutela

Forest – artists Guy Ben-Ner and Ilkka Halso

Energy – visual artists Jussi Kivi, Antti Majava and Nestori Syrjälä, philosopher Tere Vadén

Object Encounters - Discoveries from the Archives

The curators  for the archive theme, Paavo Järvensivu and  Karoliina Lummaa, have searched collections of the Finnish Museum of Photography and Lusto The Finnish Forest Museum for photographs in which they see links to particularly Finnish ideas about nature and the use of natural resources. They are inspired by the special quality of photographs as objects: photos illustrate real beings and practices as well as different forms of representation, yet they also exist as objects.

The photographers from the Finnish Museum of Photography Collections are Henrik  Cronström, Timo Kilpeläinen, Risto Lounema, Onni Lönnroth, Mikko Savolainen, Jyrki Parantainen, Rafael Roos, Matti Saanio and Merja Salo and from Lusto Collections E. M. Andersen, V. K. Ahola, Tarmo Herranen and E. K. E. Saarinen.

PUBLICATION
The biennial coincides with the release of the book Ecological Fallacy as part of the Mustarinda publication series. The essays seek to provide theoretical tools for handling the situation and moving forward. The chief editor of the book is researcher Paavo Järvensivu, the editors Noelia Martinez (The Finnish Museum of Photography) and curator Basak Senova. Graphic design is by Pauliina Leikas.

MEET THE CURATORS
9.4. and 14.5. at 18-19: Join the curators Antti Majava and Paavo Järvensivu for a tour of the Objects on Oil -exhibition. Museum entrance fee.

Events at the Finnish Museum of Photography
Guided tours: Free guided tours of the exhibition for the public (in Finnish): Sundays at 1 pm; conversation guide is on hand on Sundays 2–3 pm. With admission fee.

To book guided tours or workshops, contact workshop@fmp.fi , tel. +358 9 6866 3621 

Further information on the exhibitions:
Anna-Kaisa Rastenberger, Chief Curator, +358 50 518 7619, anna-kaisa.rastenberger@fmp.fi

Tiina Rauhala, Curator, +358 504327562, tiina.rauhala@fmp.fi  

Further information on workshops, guided tours and public programme:
Erja Salo, Head of Education and Public Programmes , +358 44 2706216, erja.salo@fmp.fi  

Finnish Museum of Photography, Cable Factory, Tallberginkatu 1 G, 00180 Helsinki, tel. +358 9 6866 3621 / fmp@fmp.fi /  www.valokuvataiteenmuseo.fi/en

 Opening hours: Tue–Sun, 11 am – 6 pm, Wed 11 am – 8 pm.

More information about Mustarinda at www.mustarinda.fi