Debut author Ivanda Jansone‘s creative path has been full of incidents.
She felt a pull towards art already in her childhood, but the uncertainty associated with being an artist made her hesitate. Instead, she decided to be rational and study graphic design, and later furniture design, but the idea of making art never left her alone.
In 2018 by chance, Jansone took part in a comic course at the Aalto University’s open university, taught by the renowned artist Matti Hagelberg. The experience opened up a view to the world of comic art, and got Jansone back to drawing.
Then the pandemic struck, and Jansone was laid off from her graphic designer job.
“Getting fired crushed my ego, and everything came to a halt. I heard my own voice for the first time and understood who I am, and what I want. Comics were the only thing that interested me at that moment. I decided to focus on making art and see where the path takes me”, she says.
Captivating debut
Jansone’s debut book, Mustavalkoinen mestariteos (Black and White Masterpiece), was released last year. The book got a raving review in the main Finnish newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, which brought it to the public’s attention and made it one of the most reserved books in the library.
It came as a complete surprise to Jansone.
“The work was very personal. It was about exploring myself, art, and new techniques. I didn’t expect or even think about getting reviews. The feedback felt nice though, and it gave me confidence in my work, and trust that I am on the right path”, she says.
The vibe in Jansone’s illustrations is surreal, a result of her playing with many levels of reality and observations. Wordless comics that rely solely on images are her favourites. She prefers leaving the story open in order to allow the reader participate in its narration.
“Working on comics requires a lot of planning, and I like planning. It is interesting to build an ambience and environment for a story out of nothing. I’m also interested in time. If a single image, painting, or a photograph captures a moment, in comics the moment is continuous”, Jansone says.
Residency brought back memories
Jansone, who moved from Latvia to Finland in 2008, has started working on her next comic book, which explores memories and secrets stemming from her childhood in the former Soviet Union.
Old Soviet-era objects, such as a vinyl player, animal masks made of paper mache, an orange jug, an old alarm clock, and a little Cheburashka toy, become images and stories in Jansone’s hands.
Last autumn, Jansone spent two months working at the NART residency in Narva, supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation. The Estonian city is located a stone’s throw away from the Russian border, and it’s stagnant atmosphere suited the theme of her on-going project.
While in the residency, Jansone was expecting her first child, which helped bring back even more memories of her own childhood.
“The time I spent in Narva was very emotional. I turned inward because I felt the need to spend a lot of time by myself. It was wonderful to delve deep into the past and relive the memories of my childhood. Being in the old, quiet residency building in the evenings when all the doors were shut made me feel like I was in a movie set”, Jansone says.
New forms of comics
Jansone is currently on parental leave but new ideas for art and comics are already brewing in her mind. In the near future, Jansone plans to complete the book she started at the NART residency, and graduate from the Uniarts Helsinki’s Academy of Fine Arts with a master’s degree.
Printmaking, and especially gravure printing, is the next natural step for Jansone, who wants to bring her comics to a larger scale, and take them to new environments, such as gallery walls.
The vibe in Jansone’s illustrations is surreal, a result of her playing with many levels of reality and observations.
“There are many talented comic artists in Finland, and I wonder why comics remain at the subculture level, it can hard to even find them in bookstores. Also, comics can be more than books. I would like the interest in comics to start from a gallery”, she says.
Comic artist Ivanda Jansone received a residency grant in 2023. She worked for two months at NART Residency in Narva in the autumn of 2023.
Villu Jaanisoo (born 1963) is a multidisciplinary sculptor who has had a significant influence on the development of contemporary Finnish sculpture. A native of Tallinn, he graduated from the Estonian Art Academy in 1989. He has been a professor of sculpture at the University of the Arts Helsinki’s Academy of Fine Arts.
As a sculptor, Jaanisoo has embraced not only traditional materials such as stone, bronze, and steel but also unconventional ones, such as recycled car tyres, which feature in his public sculptures Paradise Island (2018) and Elephant (2018). The swaying palm trees in the middle of a traffic circle in the town of Lempäälä and the massive elephant in a public park in Jyväskylä invite viewers to ponder the relationship between art and the urban environment.
Other works such as Kuukkeli (2016) in Helsinki’s Kalasatama district are positioned to allow for encounters with art in everyday life. Jaanisoo’s most recent public sculptures are mask-like reliefs of the famous Finnish writers Minna Canth and Maria Jotuni (2023), created for the lobbies of the Kuopio City Theatre.
Photo: Riitta Supperi
Villu Jaanisoo receives the Finnish Cultural Foundation award for his innovative taming of materials and for bringing art into everyday life.
Heini Junkkaala
Heini Junkkaala (born 1975) is a playwright, director, and dramaturge from Helsinki. She received her Master of Arts in Theatre and Drama in 2006 from the University of the Arts Helsinki’s Theatre Academy, where she has worked as a professor of dramaturgy and playwriting since the beginning of 2024.
Junkkaala’s work is described as uncompromising and as having a unique voice. Her plays take on challenging contemporary issues such as sexual identity, gender diversity, the generational divide, and the paradoxes of religious belief.
She often explores her themes through private, personal perspectives, but does so in a way that makes the personal experience universal. In addition to her many plays, Junkkaala is known for her biography of Pirkko Saisio, Pirkko Saisio – Sopimaton, which was a nominee for last year’s non-fiction Finlandia Prize.
Photo: Riitta Supperi
Heini Junkkaala receives the Finnish Cultural Foundation award for her innovative theatre work and her ability to make the personal experience universal.
Jukka Pekola
Jukka Pekola (born 1958) is a professor of quantum nanophysics and a long-standing advocate for quantum technology research. He received his doctorate in engineering and technology from the Helsinki University of Technology in 1984 and teaches at Aalto University. He has twice been an academy professor of the Academy of Finland and also has received the distinguished ERC Advanced Grant of the European Union. Pekola is a member of both the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters and the Finnish Academy of Technical Sciences.
Pekola is currently the director of the Centre of Excellence in Quantum Technology and leads the quantum phenomena and devices group of the Finnish Quantum Institute (InstituteQ). The institute coordinates collaboration on quantum science by the University of Helsinki, Aalto University, and the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland with the goal of preparing Finland to take advantage of the potential offered by quantum technologies.
Previously, Pekola has received awards for his notable achievements in quantum thermodynamics, metrology, and cryogenics based on nanoscale electronic devices.
Photo: Riitta Supperi
Jukka Pekola receives the Finnish Cultural Foundation award for his tireless promotion of research into quantum technology and his work to solve the challenges facing humankind.
A soprano voice playing from a record player fills the space. The sound is a conflicting blend of self-examination and justification of a grave robber’s remorse and shame. It belongs to Confession Piece for Voice, a sound installation created by artist Jonna Kina in collaboration with composer Lauri Supponen. The artwork was exhibited at Helsinki Contemporary in 2021, and it is now part of the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma’s collections.
Sound has always been the most important of all senses for Kina. She reflects on her works through sound even when they are silent.
“The capability of sound to directly affect our emotional register is ultimately a multisensory experience. That’s why sound is a natural element in visual arts, where silence is a typical characteristic of space. I am fascinated by how sound can operate on the boundaries of the emotional, intuitive, and conceptual, even the irrational”, Kina says.
Interpreter of new worlds
Kina feels most comfortable on the edge of something new. As an artist, she observes her surroundings, and creates new worlds based on her interpretations. In addition to sound, Kina uses moving image, installation, photography, sculpture, and language in her works. Not everything can be verbalized though—if it could, making art could become boring.
Sometimes Kina’s works arise from a compelling need. She might be haunted by something that calls for her attention. This was the case with the exhibition series about the grave robbers.
The story begun in Mazzano Romano in 2017. Kina attended an artist residency in the small Italian village, where she found a jar belonging to the Faliscan culture in a local archaeological museum. The ancient, grave-robbed object captivated the artist, who returned to look and photograph the jar again and again.
The object eventually became part of a video piece titled Red Impasto Jar, a moving portrait of the jar placed on top of an industrial motor, which, as it spins, reveals the fragile essence of the jar to the viewer.
“The story of the jar is unknown but it was intended for the afterlife. I had to make a piece out of it to break free from its spell. The jar made me wonder if it is right to present a culture or a language one does not know, or if the museum has the right to present an object that belongs to another person’s memory”, Kina says.
Mobility opens new doors
Last autumn, Kina spent three months at the Fabrikken residency in Copenhagen funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation. Kina, who earned a master’s degree from the Uniarts Helsinki’s Academy of Fine Arts, has also studied and worked in New York and Jerusalem. She says that the importance of mobility only comers clear when an opportunity to travel arises.
“A new environment activates the senses and generates new thoughts very differently from the familiar home environment. Through traveling comes a revelation that no one comes to Finland just passing by. Sometimes it can be long after the residency when I realize what I achieved, and how my work progressed”, she says.
According to Kina, establishing international contacts is one of the most important aspects of an artist residency. In Copenhagen, she met curator Nadim Samman, who invited Kina to participate in a group exhibition at the KW Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin this spring. Her piece Secret Words and Related Stories will be on display, and in March Kina will hold a reading performance.
Apart from meeting the curators, Kina finds exchanging ideas with fellow artists fascinating. During her time at Fabrikken, she was mentored by local contemporary artist Joachim Koester.
“Another artist understands the different stages of the process and work-related matters, such as materials and forms, at a microcosmic level. Exchanging technical advice is useful too”, she says.
Artistic Inventory
Last year, Kina’s career and personal life were full of meaningful events. She took part in three international museum exhibitions, a gallery exhibition, and also became a mother for the first time. After a busy period, Kina wants to take time to reflect her life, and to hold what she calls an artistic inventory.
“An artist is not a machine. I want to quiet down, and proceed slowly in order to have space for something new. Once in a while it’s important to get lost in order to suddenly find yourself in the middle of something interesting, and let it lead somewhere”, Kina says.
The current atmosphere has also led Kina to contemplate her work and art in relation to everything else. In a world filled with threats, the significance of art has become even more emphasized, she says.
“I want to remember to think of the good, and to approach things that touch me, but which the present society does not call for. Art is a channel through which all sorts of things can be addressed”, Kina concludes.
Artist Jonna Kina received a residency grant in 2023. She worked for three months at Fabrikken Residency in Denmark in the autumn of 2023.
As a result of its application round in October 2023, the Finnish Cultural Foundation has awarded grants totalling over 30 million euros to support science, the arts, and culture. The foundation gives out more than 50 million euros annually, making it one of the largest grant-making foundations in Finland.
“We want to take responsibility for the opportunities to make and experience science, the arts, and culture in the entire country,” says Susanna Petterson, CEO of the Finnish Cultural Foundation. “This time, the grant money was spread across 90 municipalities and 1,000 researchers, artists, and projects. By strengthening science and art, we build a sustainable, pluralistic, and diverse society.”
The October application round marks the first time the foundation received over 10,000 applications. One in 10 applications was awarded a grant. The applications are reviewed by a diverse group of over 150 experts in a range of scientific and artistic fields. The members of the group change from year to year.
In the October round, 43% of the grant money was directed to the arts and 57% to science. The larger percentage of funds allocated to science reflects the interest of the majority of the foundation’s donors in providing support to scientific fields.
The need for support particularly for artistic work has grown steadily in recent years.
“Art received almost 13 million euros worth of support from the Finnish Cultural Foundation. Grants that provide for full-time work are immensely important for artists, as their work requires persistence and concentration,” Pettersson says. “Together with foundations, public funders must ensure that artists continue to have an opportunity to focus on creative work.”
Harri Lipsanen is working to find new solutions for greener technology. Photo by Anni Hanén
The largest grants in science were awarded to research supporting Finland’s competitiveness in industry and business. Aalto University professors Harri Lipsanen and Zhipei Sun and their team were given 250,000 euros for their work developing neuromorphic electronic components that imitate the structure and function of the human brain. The scientists are striving to find new, more environmentally friendly technological solutions.
Another major grant, of 242,000 euros, was awarded to Doctor of Theology Sini Mikkola and her team at the University of Eastern Finland to study norms, expectations, and ideals of manhood in a Lutheran context from the Reformation to the first decades of the 20th century. Their research is of particular interest at a time when the changing nature of masculinity is being discussed in the media, the church, and politics.
Full-time grants provide continuity
The foundation awards a large number of grants that allow grantees to work on science or art full-time. In this round, 460 full-year grants were awarded, of which 168 were multi-year grants.
Four-year grants will be used to study a wide range of topics, including: the visual politics of far-left online communities in the US (MA Jaakko Dickman), a method for measuring cancer stem cells in patient samples, (PhD Nikolaos Giannareas), the practices of hope and utopia (PhD Teemu Paavolainen), poetics in the late works of L. Onerva (MA Susanna Selve), and how transgenderism is represented in liberal Russian media (MA Alisa Virtanen). Documentary film director and screenwriter Anu Kuivalainen also received a four-year grant for her work.
The Kirpilä Art Collection research grant is intended for postdoc research related to art collecting, collectors’ collections, home museums, or artists who feature in the Kirpilä Art Collection. MA Elina Sairanen was awarded this four-year research grant for studying Finnish art museums founded by private collectors from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Visual artist Mimosa Pale received a multi-year grant for community art projects and artistic work. Photo by Ilona Valkonen
Three-year grants were awarded, for example, for the study of: the streaming format as an environment in which young people construct their identities (MFA Harri Homi), the experiences of people with disabilities transitioning to working life (MA Kia Liimatainen), and employing gamification techniques to promote sustainable behaviours among citizens (MSc Naghmeh Mohammadpourlima). Three-year grants for artistic work were awarded to author Tiina Laitila Kälvemark, illustrator and visual artist Aino Louhi, drama translator Reita Lounatvuori, visual artist Joel Slotte, sculptor and performance artist Mimosa Pale, and circus artist Sasu Peistola.
Information for a wide audience
The Finnish Cultural Foundation also gave approximately 900,000 euros toward the production of non-fiction books on a variety of topics in science and art. This support has a direct impact on work opportunities in the field.
“Non-fiction literature struggles with a lack of funding. We want to do our part to ensure that publishing high-quality non-fiction in Finnish will continue to be possible,” says Susanna Pettersson. “We need more critical discussion and curiosity towards the world, which is what non-fiction literature represents.”
Katariina Parhi and Vesa Ranta will focus on the history of workhouses in their forthcoming non-fiction book.
Heidi Airaksinen and Tiina Tuppurainen will write about Finnish queer history, and Susanne Dahlgren and Mikko Lohikoski are working on a book regarding changing power politics in the Middle East. Katariina Parhi and Vesa Ranta will focus on the history of workhouses, and Mika Rokka is writing about endangered butterfly species. Sonja Saarikoski will look at classical music from the perspective of women, and Lassi Karhu is making a podcast popularising cyber security.
Tiede tutuksi (Getting to know science) grants focusing on children and young people were awarded to 12 projects, amounting to a total of over 800,000 euros.
The foundation’s 25,000-euro Eminentia grants are given to leaders in scientific or artistic fields to help them reflect on their life’s work in written form. This round’s grants were awarded to dance artist and choreographer Alpo Aaltokoski, former leader of the National Library of Finland Kai Ekholm, dance artist Marja Korhola, painter and graphic artist Inari Krohn, former professor of film editing at Aalto University Anne Lakanen, visual artist Jarmo Mäkilä, and costume designer and scenographer Pirjo Valinen.
Encounters, experiences, and interactions
The number of Romani speakers in Finland has decreased significantly, and the language has become endangered. In 2022, the Finnish Cultural Foundation decided to spend up to a million euros by 2030 to support Finnish Romani language and culture. The support will consist primarily of grants, and the first 10 were awarded in this round.
Anette Åkerlund is writing a book of poetry in Romani.
PhD Mirkka Salo will use her grant to study metalanguage in online conversations regarding the Romani language by Finnish Romani people, and MMus Anette Åkerlund is writing a book of poetry in Romani. Various grants were awarded to develop Romani learning materials and to further language revitalisation work.
Several grantees aim to increase the understanding of the immigrant experience in Finland. The work of MSc Bayan Bilal Ahmad Arouri examines the reimagining of violence and peace in Syrian refugee communities in Finland and Jordan, MA Akhgar Kaboli researches the future outlook for young refugee adults living in Finland, and MSc Yasemin Kontkanen looks into the entrepreneurship of immigrant women in Finland.
Support was also directed to Sámi languages and culture. Essi Morottaja and team Čuovvâd were given a grant of 90,000 euros for a children’s music project to develop Sámi early music education and create new materials for music pedagogy in all three Sámi languages spoken in Finland. Architect Eveliina Sarapää received a grant to establish a consortium of Sámi architects, which is intended to start a discussion in Finland regarding Sámi architecture and construction in Sápmi.
“The Finnish Cultural Foundation has long been active in protecting minority languages and cultures. As a foundation of and for the whole of Finland, we are responsible not only for endangered cultural capital, but also the inclusivity of culture and art,” notes Susanna Pettersson.
The foundation also provides Taidetta kaikille (Art for all) grants to increase the opportunities for people in need of support or care to experience high-quality art. A total of 460,000 euros was awarded to 12 projects.
AI is changing the world
In recent years, various artificial intelligence (AI) applications have come into everyday use. Many grant applicants hope to explore the opportunities offered by AI and understand its consequences.
One of the largest grants this year was given to Aalto University professor Mikko Alava and his team. They received 200,000 euros to develop waterproof foams that can be used to replace plastic. The study utilises biomimetics, mimicking the structure of wood with the help of AI-based methods.
Other AI-focused grants were awarded to: law professor at the University of Helsinki Anette Alén and her team to research the changes in preconditions and interests in the creative industry and its business models in the age of digitalisation and artificial intelligence; MA Liisa Petäinen to study new AI-based methods in cancer diagnostics; and DSocSc Heikki Wilenius to examine the interaction between developers and AI, and the resulting overall changes in their work.
“Now men are talking!” “Men need to be heard.” These are a couple of examples of headlines in the media from recent years. They summarise the need to start a discussion about Finnish men and the expectations, norms, and ideals attached to them in modern society.
A four-year project at the University of Eastern Finland, led by doctor of theology and university lecturer Sini Mikkola, is contributing to this conversation. The Finnish Cultural Foundation awarded the project a grant of 242 000 euros in 2024.
“The aim of our project is to examine the Lutheran background of the ideals and norms of masculinity from the 16th century all the way to the first decades of the 1900s. We believe that the historically strong position of the Lutheran church and religion has been relevant in terms of the expectations attached to the male gender.”
Norms of masculinity from several centuries
The project studies the formation of the ideas of masculinity, starting with Martin Luther’s Germany and then moving on to Finland from the 17th to the 19th century.
“We look at the expectations that not only priests, professors, and politicians but also ‘ordinary’ people in less influential positions set for masculinity, how these expectations were met, and what the role of religion was in defining masculinity.”
Along with Mikkola, the project is carried out by PhD Miia Kuha, MTh Tapio Leinonen and DTh, BA Hanna Pöyry. They all cast light on the historical legacy of the Finnish perception of men.
“Manhood, masculinity, and the associated customs, beliefs, and norms aren’t born in a vacuum; they take a long time to form,” Mikkola notes. “That’s why they are worth studying from a historical perspective.”
The effect of Luther and his thoughts on vocation
Mikkola says that Lutheranism and the expectations linked to masculinity are strongly connected, even in everyday speech. The Lutheran work ethic is one example of this.
“It has shaped the Nordic and thus also Finnish norm of a man as a hard worker and uncompromising bearer of responsibility. The basis of the concept of work ethic lies in Luther’s idea of a worldly vocation. Luther was of the opinion that whatever a man’s profession was, the command and call to work came from God.”
Although the idea of a Protestant work ethic is originally from Max Weber, Mikkola notes that Luther’s understanding of vocation must have influenced the norms of masculinity associated with Nordic men.
“However, many normative ideas have roots even further back in history.”
The era of national romanticism valued strength
According to Sini Mikkola, people grow into both manhood and womanhood in a similar way, by adjusting socially to the expectations of their environment.
According to the long-standing norms of masculinity, a decent man takes care of his family, thinks rationally, shows leadership, and is the head of his family.
“Of course, the extent to which these ideals have been realised in the lives of individual men is another matter. Ideals and reality rarely go hand in hand.”
During the period of national romanticism in the second half of the 19th century, the expectations and ideals attached to men were somewhat diversified in Finland, as Fennomania was rising its head in the Grand Duchy of Finland ruled by Russia.
“For example, in his poetry Zacharias Topelius highlighted a fit and healthy young man, simultaneously humble and God-fearing but also a strong and righteous defender of his home and mother. The opposite example was of a weak wimp hiding behind his mother, not deserving of respect.”
Demand for modern men’s studies
Throughout history, Mikkola says, man has been the absolute of humanity. When a man is considered a representative of humanity in general, the fact that his experiences and thoughts are also determined by his gender is often neglected.
“Men’s studies have examined this gender-blindness and begun to uncover the different kinds of norms related to masculinity, their producers, and the structures that maintain them.”
Men’s studies are becoming increasingly prevalent, but masculinity has been studied far less than femininity.
“I believe that the critical examination of masculinity and its norms is an act of equality, too. People grow into both manhood and womanhood in a similar way, by adjusting socially to the expectations of their environment.”
All over the world, people are competing to find solutions to replace plastic products with wood-based alternatives.
As a material, plastic is functional, durable, practical, and cheap. The problem lies in the fact that plastic is made from crude oil, so it sustains our dependence on fossil fuels.
“There is an immense amount of wood in Finland, and it could be processed further than just into paper and cardboard,” says Mikko Alava, professor of physics at Aalto University.
When it comes to water resistance, wood pales in comparison with plastic. Anyone who’s ever used disposable tableware outdoors has noticed how wood-based plates and cups get wet.
A thin plastic coating has to be added to paper coffee cups, resulting in the material no longer being fossil-free; and even then, a paper cup will eventually get soggy.
Thus, the key question is to develop a water-resistant wood-based material to replace plastic. Alava and his colleagues aim to find a solution with the help of lignin.
Lignin constitutes 30% of the mass of wood, and it’s a polymer, a bundle composed of small molecules. Lignin is formed by the coupling of three phenylpropane units, and its structure varies individually.
Lignin is easily available; initially, lignin comprises up to a half of the black liquor of a pulp digester. However, in terms of paper and cardboard, lignin is a harmful substance. In pulp manufacturing, it is discarded, and eventually it will be burnt to generate energy.
“In the future, lignin might be more valuable as an alternative for plastic than as fuel.”
AI to the rescue
Lignin is water-repellent. It forms vascular tissue in trees and other vascular plants, enabling the conduction of water and thus sustaining the life of the plant.
With the help of lignin, a tree can control its water transportation and doesn’t get soaked. This means that in order to replace plastic with wood-based materials, lignin must be organised as neatly as it is within wood.
“Our goal is to break down the wood and then rebuild it. The fibres are used to make foam, and lignin is added to this foam to make it water-resistant.”
On a general level, the recipe is simple: make foam out of cellulose fibres, then throw in lignin, stir and mix, and let dry – and you’ll have an alternative for plastic.
Alava and his colleagues, researchers Juha Koivisto and Tero Mäkinen and two graduate students are still unsure as to what the best structure for this wood-based material is and what process should be used to produce it in a way that makes the material water-repellent. They are trying different kinds of mixing ratios and mixing and heating methods, then testing the properties of the material.
There are endless opportunities, so they’ve turned to artificial intelligence for help.
“We can give artificial intelligence all the information we have gathered so far and ask what should or shouldn’t be tried next. This way, we can skip 90% of the tests and just conduct the ones artificial intelligence deems relevant,” Alava says.
A successful yet soggy substitute
The idea of a water-repellent wood product is a successor to Foamwood, a process that Alava and his group created to make lightweight and solid foam from forest materials as a substitute for expanded polystyrene.
The foam isn’t water-resistant, but it’s been useful in dry environments, such as replacing bubble wrap in parcels. Startup company Woamy is looking to turn it into a commercial success.
“Being able to send products without plastic is a competitive advantage for various companies,” says Alava.
Packaging for ready meals and restaurants
The research of Mikko Alava and his team is expected to result in wood-based packaging material for snacks and restaurant food.
Alava is confident that his team will find a recipe for a water-resistant alternative for plastic.
“Our efforts will probably succeed, and we’ll also come up with something unexpected, as is often the case in research.”
Sometimes an invention can also turn a profit, but this remains to be seen.
Alava and his colleagues aren’t looking for a perfect solution. When each and every lignin molecule is different, it can be difficult or even impossible to develop an industrial process for products that are expected to remain 100% waterproof for decades. Hence, we’re unlikely to see a wood-based Styrofoam in frost insulation; a wood-based packaging material for ready meals and restaurants is a much more likely outcome.
“As long as the product is water-resistant enough and easy to recycle after use, it’s good,” Alava concludes.
Based on video pre-screening, the Mirjam Helin competition selected 56 out of 485 applicants for the competition in Helsinki next June. Altogether 61 nationalities were represented among the applicants.
Soile Isokoski, opera singer and chair of the Mirjam Helin competition jury is delighted to see that the competition attracted such highly promising and talented singers.
“Naturally, the first criterion is the applicant’s voice, but this is just the starting point. We look for singers who perform the music as it is intended but who also go beyond the notes, bring the song to life and master all the different genres. Verdi and Mozart cannot be sung in the same way,” Isokoski says.
South Korea has the highest number of applicants accepted to the competition, thirteen in total. Four of the competitors are from Finland. The competitors represent 25 nationalities, with participants from countries such as Armenia, Germany, Costa Rica, China, the United States, Croatia and Australia. For a full list of competitors, see mirjamhelin.fi.
The preliminary competition with piano accompaniment will take place from 3 to 6 June 2024. The jury selects 16–20 singers for the semifinals, and six will be eligible for the orchestral finals on 12 June. In the orchestral finals, the singers will perform with the Helsinki Philharmonic, led by Sir Mark Elder.
The jury members are soprano Dawn Upshaw, mezzosoprano Randi Stene, baritone Bo Skovhus, pianist Keval Shah and chair, soprano Soile Isokoski.
The Mirjam Helin competition is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The winner will be awarded the first prize of 50,000 euro; the second prize is 40,000 euro, the third prize 30,000 euro, and the other three finalists will receive 10,000 euro each. The finalists will also have opportunities to perform at Finnish music festivals and with Finnish orchestras.
The Finnish Cultural Foundation has been organizing the international Mirjam Helin competition since 1984. The competition is founded on Mirjam ja Hans Helin’s large donation. Professor Mirjam Helin’s (1911–2006) aim was to establish an international singing competition in Finland and to make it the most prestigious competition globally.
The Digitutkijat project organises workshops for pupils in year 4 to strengthen their media literacy and digital welfare skills, including the ability to navigate digital media safely and responsibly, in a way that supports one’s own wellbeing as well as that of others. Cost-free to schools, the workshops aim to support schools and families in their media education efforts nationally. The workshops will begin in March.
“Navigating in a rapidly changing media environment, strengthening media literacy, and regulating screen time are fundamental civic skills of today. Digitutkijat aims to minimise the harmful effects of digitalisation and encourage using digital media in ways that improve wellbeing,” says Susanna Pettersson, the CEO of the Finnish Cultural Foundation. “Digitutkijat is based on the Minun kasvoni (my face) project conducted in the Häme region of Finland. We wanted to expand a topical project that’s been proven effective onto a national level.”
“Workshops that have been designed in line with the principles of the national curriculum provide schools with an opportunity to approach media education in a student-centred and inspiring manner,” adds Paula Aalto, the head of MLL’s school co-operation and digital youth work.
Inspiring workshops that get children involved
The workshops support children’s ability to read different kinds of media content and understand media environments whilst encouraging independent and critical thinking and providing tools for making choices that enhance wellbeing. MLL’s prefects join the workshops as mentors in support of younger pupils.
“Children spend time using digital devices and are interested in media use. In the workshops, the pupils – digital scientists – dive deeper and wonder, contemplate, and solve tasks and problems related to media use, without forgetting fun and play. The basis lies in the involvement of pupils and doing things together with others. MLL’s prefects help younger pupils and share their experiences in what constitutes balanced and safe media use,” Aalto notes.
“The Mannerheim League for Child Welfare is an expert organisation with wide-ranging networks and a long experience in this kind of work. We have collaborated previously, and MLL’s strong competence in the field of media education supports the success of the project,” says Pettersson.
The Digitutkijat project comprises, for example, engaging workshops for year 4 pupils as well as national online parent nights and webinars for professionals. The goal is to reach 75% of primary and comprehensive schools.
Digitutkijat (digital researchers) is a media education project carried out by the MLL and launched and funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation aimed at supporting media education efforts by schools and families. The goal of the project is to strengthen children’s media literacy through involvement and inspiration, as studies show that the use of digital devices is connected to children’s wellbeing. Digitutkijat supports digital education, namely the ability to read and interpret different kinds of media texts and review the content critically and independently.
In the January round, the regional funds give out grants to support the arts and sciences in their own regions. The regional funds award grants to applicants who live or were born in the region, as well as to scientific or artistic work and diverse cultural projects taking place in the region.
Special-purpose grants common to all the regional funds include projects related to each region’s heritage, Art for Everyone grants and spearhead project grants.
Some regions have their own special-purpose grants and focus areas.
Regional special-purpose grants
Speak Finnish Boldly!
The South Ostrobothnia Regional Fund has a Speak Finnish Boldly! grant in addition to its usual funding for artistic or scientific work. The grant sum is EUR 3,000 and the applicant must undertake to improve their Finnish language skills during the grant period.
Planning Grant
Applications may be made to the Pirkanmaa Regional Fund for planning and developing a spearhead or major project for the 2024 application round. The grant sum is EUR 2,500 and its purpose is to facilitate the planning and development of large-scale and exceptionally demanding projects.
A joint project for sciences
A joint science grant of EUR 100,000 from the North Karelia and North Savo Regional Funds is available for a high-quality project combining different scientific disciplines. The working group of the project must involve participants from both regions, from universities or other research institutions.
Art Together
Instead of Art for All grants, the Uusimaa Regional Fund distributes Art Together grants. The aim of this form of support is to increase the well-being, becoming visible by their own volition, and the participation of minorities, those in need of special support or care, or people otherwise living in socially vulnerable contexts, through means of ethically sustainable and dialogic art and culture.
There will be a joint grant information event online for all the regional funds on Thursday 25 January. The English part starts at 2.15 pm and the Finnish part at 3 pm. You can access through the participation link below when the event starts, and the link will also be sent in the grant newsletter.
The Cultural Foundation’s residency programme has expanded by three host sites from 2024 onwards, with the addition of Kanuti Gildi SAAL in Tallinn, MORPHO in Antwerp and SÍM in Reykjavík.The programme’s ten host sites are located across eight countries.
“The Finnish Cultural Foundation’s residency programme is seen as significant in the Nordic region as a whole, and we want to continue building upon it.Finnish art has always relied upon international mobility, and these days it is more important than ever to give artists opportunities to travel and network internationally,” says the Cultural Foundation’s CEO,Susanna Pettersson.
Since the pandemic, application volumes for artists’ residencies have been growing:while the foundation received 127 applications in 2021 and 176 in 2022, the number nearly doubled this year, reaching a record of 324 applications.
Fifteen artists to take up residencies in 2024
The residency programme allows artists from diverse fields to absorb new international influences, build networks and acquire new perspectives for their work.This year, Residency Grants will be awarded to 15 artists.
“A residency allows artists to develop in their work, network internationally, and temporarily distance themselves from their everyday lives. Many artists describe the impact of a residency as groundbreaking for their careers.In our new partnerships, we have paid particular attention to the support artists receive in their work,” explains senior adviser Johanna Ruohonen, who is in charge of the residency programme.
On the left Miia Kettunen, photo: Marko Junttila. On the right Pavel Rotts, photo: Marko Marin.
Miia Kettunen and Pavel Rotts will travel to the NART residency in Narva, Estonia, in 2024.Kettunen is a multidisciplinary visual artist, who focuses on environmental and community art.In her current works, she is exploring the use of components from environmental art, bioart, alternative photography techniques and media arts.
A Room of Absence 2, oil on steel, Tiina Pyykkinen, 2023. Photo: Sampo Linkoneva, Serlachius Museums.
Pavel Rotts uses diverse techniques within the ambits of conceptual art, performance and sculpture.An Ingrian Finn born in the Soviet Union, Rotts often uses his background as a starting point. When Russia began its military attack on Ukraine, he became an antiwar activist and was involved in setting up the NO PUTIN NO charity campaign, which supported Ukrainian refugees.
Tiina Pyykkinen is a Helsinki-based visual artist, whose mirror-surfaced paintings often deal with themes of memory, time and bodily perceptions.She is off to the Triangle residency in New York to work on a new series of paintings.
Artist Panos Balomenos (pictured above), who combines watercolour painting and performance in his work, will also be going to New York.Balomenos explores themes related to power relations, sexuality and politics through personal narration, historical events and fiction.
Recipients of Residency Grants in 2023:
Panos Balomenos, MA: Triangle, New York
Karolina Ginman, dancer, with team: Kanuti Gildi SAAL, Tallinn
Miia Kettunen, MA: NART, Narva
Aaro Murphy, visual artist, Tokyo Arts and Space, Tokyo
Elina Oikari, MA: Fabrikken, Copenhagen
Jarkko Partanen, choreographer, with team: Kanuti Gilda SAAL, Tallinn
Tiina Pyykkinen, MA: Triangle, New York
Hannu Pöppönen, cultural editor: Filba, Buenos Aires
Arto Rintala, MPhil: Filba, Buenos Aires
Pavel Rotts, MFA: NART, Narva
Maiju Suomi, Architect and Patrik Söderlund, artist, AIT, Tokyo
