The work, which appears traditional at first sight, has a particular fascination in the form of a hidden message that will slowly be revealed from beneath the painting’s layers. The effect is by no means immediate, however, because the text – written by Timo Viherkenttä himself – will not become readable for a few decades.
“I made my first hidden-message painting for a retrospective held in 2008 at Helsinki Art Museum,” explains Anne Koskinen. “At an exhibition last year at Galleria Anhava, I also showed portraits that change over time. I had no models sitting for those, they were painted from my imagination.”
Viherkenttä’s portrait was completed using old painting techniques, including the use of genuine gold and silver. “They accentuate light and shadows. Gold and silver appeared in fine art already in the Renaissance. They were used in drawing and priming before the invention of the pencil; Leonardo da Vinci’s brown-toned drawings are actually oxidised silver.”
Originally trained as a painter, Koskinen has recently worked mostly on sculpture. In summer 2018 she showed works on the female figure in Kultaranta (the summer residence of the President of Finland). The portrait of Timo Viherkenttä is the first modelled work she has done in a long time. “It is titled Revelation– Timo Viherkenttä, and whether the revelation refers to an apparition or an unveiling will become evident in several years’ time,” Koskinen says, smiling. It may also lead to a whole series of new revelation-themed works. “I have become newly inspired by painting after all the sculpture,” Koskinen says. She is now looking forward to a few months of working in New York on a grant from the Cultural Foundation.
For Timo Viherkenttä, having his portrait painted was an interesting, and at the same time exciting, journey both forward and back in time. “I think that the idea that the speech bubble hidden in the painting might not be revealed for decades befits the Cultural Foundation’s long-term vision. Not everything is in the here and now: the Foundation also exists for the future,” Viherkenttä explains. As for the content of the message, no amount of inquisitive questioning will get him to reveal it. All we can say is that it is a testament of sorts for future generations. That is also very much in the spirit of the Foundation.
At its annual gala, the Foundation is awarding full-year working grants to 170 artists. In sciences, the number of full-year grants is 275. Altogether, the Foundation is funding 310 doctoral dissertations and 81 post-doctoral researches, and in total 410 individuals are receiving a grant for artistic work. Science comprises 54% and arts 46% of the awarded grants.
In the October round of applications, the Central Fund received a total of 8 300 applications, 13% out of which were awarded grants. Women accounted for 57% of all science applicants and 58% of grantees. In arts, the respective figures were 60% and 62%. Foreign applicants made up 11% of all applicants and 10% of the grantees.
The number of science applications fell by about 400 in comparison to 2018, and in arts there were 200 fewer applicants than the previous year.
– It is possible that interest in an academic career has declined. On the other hand, it is likely that stricter university demands on postgraduate studies are now becoming more evident to the foundations, states Jari Sokka, the Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees.
The competition for the Foundation’s grants varies by field in both science and arts. In fields of science, the acceptance rates vary between 11% and 24%, in arts between 7% and 31%. The differences between the different fields result primarily from the donor funds of the Foundation, the majority of which support science. There are also donor funds available to support musical arts, such as classical singing.
– Although the numbers of applicants have decreased, the competition in most fields is still extremely tough, says Sokka.
Grants spanning the whole of Finland
Current grant recipients come from a total of 94 different municipalities. Large grants are also being awarded to different parts of Finland.
Saara Rautavuoma, Saana Lavaste and Kati Sirén. Pic: Jukk
The Finnish Folk Music Institute from Kaustinen is receiving 100 000 euros to submit the Kaustinen fiddling tradition to the Unesco Intangible Heritage list. The Culture and Theatre Association Kaksikko from Tampere is being awarded 90 000 euros for a project to develop Finnish drama. The project will support professional playwrights’ artistic work and cooperation with theatres, and foster the internationalisation of a new wave of Finnish plays and authors.
The Midnight Sun Film Festival of Sodankylä is being granted 60 000 euros to update their festival cinema equipment. Central Finland Regional Opera (Keski-Suomen alueooppera ry) is receiving 55 000 euros to produce Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème opera in international collaboration with the Rijeka opera, a part of the Croatian National Theatre.
EdD Eija Sevón and working group from Jyväskylä are being granted 200 000 euros for their study focusing on conflicts and exercise of power in children’s and young people’s domestic relationships. The aim of the study is to gain better understanding of children’s and young people’s conflicts and exercise of power and find solutions to them. The project combines means of narrative, theatre and social media in new ways.
DSSc Johanna Peltoniemi and docent Hanna Wass from Tampere are being awarded 120 000 euros for a study concentrating on increasing the political participation of Finnish emigrants. Professor Jouni Jaakkola and working group from Oulu are receiving 100 000 euros to research how the Sami people are adjusting to climate change and its effects on the Sami Culture. Professor Baoru Yang and working group from Turku are being granted 60 000 euros for a study focusing on green solutions to extract high-grade fish oil from baltic herring for human consumption. PhD Raul Hakli and working group from Helsinki are receiving 120 000 euros for their research on robots as ethical agents.
An extra million euros to medicine
In October 2018, the Foundation announced special funding of one million euros for applications on clinical studies in genomic and precision medicine, open to all branches of medicine. The funding was directed especially to young clinical researchers in the process of establishing their own research teams. The additional funding attracted a lot of interest, and the number of applicants in clinical medicine increased by 40% while the total grant sum grew six fold.
The extra million euros funds a total of five large-scale research projects. MD, MSc (econ) Emmi Helle and docent Tiina Ojala are receiving 200 000 euros to research the genetics of congenital heart disease. Structural congenital heart diseases are the most common congenital malformations, present in about one out of a hundred new-borns. The aim of the research is to discover new genetic variants and molecular-level mechanisms conducive to the development of congenital heart diseases.
MD Joni Turunen and the Eye Genetics Group are receiving a 200 000 euro grant. Pic: Anna Bui
MD PhD Anniina Färkkilä is likewise receiving 200 000 euros for research focusing on utilising immunologic response caused by DNA damage in the treatment of ovarian cancer. PhD Matti Kankainen and the HemaVir working group are being awarded a grant of the same size to research the role of viruses and bacteria in leukaemia and rheumatism with viral aetiology. Docent Päivi Lakkisto and working group are receiving 200 000 euros for a study concentrating on individual diagnostics of cardiovascular disease, prognosis assessment, and identifying new pharmacotherapy targets by means of transcriptomics. MD Joni Turunen and the Eye Genetics Group are receiving a 200 000 euro grant to research causal genes of rare eye diseases.
The additional funding to medicine has been made possible by the Foundation’s donor funds that support medicine.
Games – a new field for applications
In the October round of applications, games were for the first time included as a field of their own. A grant could be applied for the artistic design or for the implementation of games, and, for a game to receive funding, it was required to have artistic, cultural, or social aims. There were no fewer than 94 applications received, out of which eight were awarded grants. A full-year working grant was awarded to BA Zuzanna Buchowska to implement an interactive alt+ctrl game-installation work “Go date yourself!” and MFA Mike Pohjola for artistic work in games. BFA Vera Anttila and working group received a 24 000 euro grant to design and implement “VR Stranded”, a virtual reality game dealing with climate change.
For Cultural Equality
The Finnish Cultural Foundation is allocating over 350 000 euros to support projects that aim to promote cultural equality and improve the quality of life of people in need of special support or care by means of art. The overarching idea of these Art for Institutions projects is to carry out the work or the project at a care institution or other similar environment where the inhabitants or users have difficulties in accessing art. The Art for Institutions grant received a total of 247 applications.
The grantees for the Central Fund’s October round of applications can be found here.
“The standard of the applicants was excellent,” says the competition’s Executive Director Marja-Leena Pétas-Arjava. “It is also noticeable that top-flight singers clearly cover a wider front than they did 5–10 years ago. They show that interest in opera and Western art music has spread, and reflect the speed with which these genres have been appropriated.”
The competition was open to women born in 1989 or later and men born in 1987 or later, regardless of nationality. The application deadline was 31 December 2018. A total of €173,000 will be awarded in prizes. The four best men and four best women will each receive a prize.
The Mirjam Helin Competition will be held in Helsinki, Finland from 20 to 29 May 2019. The finalists on 29 May will be performing with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hannu Lintu.The Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle) will be giving the competition wide coverage.
Key competition assets reputation, Jury and prizes
The number of applicants for the Mirjam Helin Competition was 46% up on the figure for the previous s in 2014. Executive Director Marja-Leena Pétas-Arjava reckons the fantastic growth can be attributed to the rise in the competition’s worldwide reputation, the prestigious Jury, the repertoire that, though demanding, permits considerable freedom, and the big prizes.
The members of the all-singer Jury are impressive stars of the world of singing: Olaf Bär, Ben Heppner, Vesselina Kasarova, François Le Roux, Waltraud Meier, Deborah Polaski, Kiri Te Kanawa and Jorma Silvasti (Chairman). For many of the competitors, the feedback they receive from a singer they admire stands them in good stead for the future.
Competitors by voice register:
Men 34 (3 countertenors, 7 tenors, 20 baritones, 2 bass-baritones and 2 basses) Women 28 (2 coloratura sopranos, 20 sopranos and 6 mezzo-sopranos) Attachment: Competitors in the VIII Mirjam Helin International Singing Competition
One of the world’s leading international singing competitions, the Mirjam Helin is intended for the cream of the world’s young singers. The aim of the competition founded by professor, singer and voice teacher Mirjam Helin (1911–2006) is to find the most talented young singers and to give them a major boost in their international career. Many of the prizewinners, such as Elīna Garanča, René Pape and Nadine Sierra, have risen to the top of the world of singing.
The first prize for women in the 2014 competition went to Ukrainian soprano Kateryna Kasper and that for men to Beomjin Kim from South Korea. The Finnish Cultural Foundation has been organising the Mirjam Helin International Singing Competition at five-year intervals since 1984.
Regional Funds support artistic work and projects, while science grants are primarily intended for dissertations and post-doctoral research.
Organisations can apply for grants to carry out cultural projects. Priority is given to applicants born or residing in the region, work carried out in the region, work relevant to the region and cultural projects that are particularly important to the region.
As a rule, the smallest grants amount to EUR 2,000. However, study grants may be smaller. The Regional Funds also have their own priorities, such as projects strengthening regional vitality and identity, community spirit and cultural activities for children and young people.
The applications for grants must be submitted electronically in accordance with the application instructions. The names of the grant recipients will be announced at the annual galas of the Regional Funds in spring.
Only the applications that have been submitted to the Regional Funds through the electronic grant application system are considered.
You can find more information about the grants and grant applications here.
Since 2016, the Cultural Foundation has been developing its residency programme in coordination with the HIAP – Helsinki International Artist Programme. The number of residency locations has grown yearly, and new locations are also being organised for the upcoming year.
The purpose of the residency alumni activities launching in 2019 is to improve the experiences of new, residency-bound artists and to help residency artists network with each other. New grantees are offered a possibility to connect with and receive help from earlier participants in preparing for their own residency periods.
The Residency Alumni webpage collects artists’ experiences of their work in the residencies affiliated with the Foundation from 2017 onwards.
The page offers new grant applicants more comprehensive information of the opportunities the residency locations afford than what was available before. This way it hopefully facilitates the process of applying to the residencies and, at the same time, presents the public with new insights into the artists’ work.
The residency locations that were applicable for 2019:
We arrived at the beautiful and rustic town of Montemor-O-Novo excited and ready to dive into the work at hand; starting a new creation. For us the town became a place of shared concentration and we found the stillness of it fruitful and inspiring.
Salla Rytövuori and Jenna Broas. Pic: Sara Gurevitsch
The convent was located up on a hill, offering a practical and stimulating environment for our working group to explore and take in the heat, dryness and vibrancy of the nature around us. We explored the area surrounding the convent, as well as the indoor spaces in the studios of the convent, which we found not at all black and sterile but, rather, vivid, vibrant and light. These felt experiences remained with us throughout our stay, affecting our working, and translated into material that begun to mould the new creation.
It was fantastic to be able to sleep, eat, and work, all in the same space. This offered optimal circumstances for us to observe the coalescing of our interests and to just be with each other. For example, we were able to inspire each other and create conditions for some of the physical aspects of our work through our shared dining moments in the residency.
For me, it was interesting to observe the part ‘feeling’ plays in formulating thinking. Felt connections with the space and the experiences we shared during the three-week period became important factors in the work.
In the residency, we became aware of the core dynamic of a new creation that relies on the formulations of experiences.
The people hosting us in residency, Pia, Maria, Diago and Inez helped and supported us in many ways. The atmosphere in the residency was pressure-free and we felt like we had a lot of freedom to work, rest and eat, whenever and however we wanted to.
I am thankful for SKR, Pia Kramer, and Taike for this great opportunity to spark this project that we call ZOE into a great start.
Team members: Sara Gurevitsch, Hanne Jurmu, Salla Rytövuori, Jenna Broas, Tom Lönnqvist, and Sofia Palillo
I received a grant from The Finnish Cultural Foundation for artistic work at the Hôtel Chevillon in France from June to September 2017. The time at the residence was, for me, in many ways, important and relevant.
Remarque Gres videostill by Jenni Toikka
The picturesque village and Hôtel Chevillon has attracted artists as early as the 1800s. This history is still emphasized among the people and is very much present This is evident in how the residence is organized, for example, the artists are free to use their time as they choose. When needed, you have your privacy and peace, but the residence also offers you the backing of a community of different artists and researchers.
During my residence, I tried to be as open as I could so as to absorb and pick up environmental influence as a visual means but also to find out special features of this specific area. The residence is located next to vast natural reserves of which the forests, large sandstone blocks and soil fascinated me. I also found out that in the southern extension of the forests there was an architecturally surprising museum of prehistory, where, in my mind, many interesting elements met and became the location of my video work.
During the residency, I visited, among many interesting places, Maison Louis Carré due in part to a joint exhibition I will have with Eeva-Riitta Eerola, to be held there in September 2019.
Jenni Toikka is a Helsinki-based visual artist working predominantly with moving images. She graduated from the Helsinki Academy of Fine Arts in 2012. The topic of her work is often drawn away from its context and handled through visual art and moving image. Toikka ponders what happens when the usual way of thinking of something is changed and, in this way, what kind of new meanings it may be given.
The Castle of Fontainebleau. Pic: Ewald Pollheimer
The Hôtel Chevillon in Grez-sur-Loing near Paris was my working site and home from the beginning of February to the end of April 2018. I was writing my fourth novel, which will be published in the beginning of 2021.
I settled in very quickly. Grez is a little village at the edge of a huge forest, the famous Fontainebleau. It takes about 2 hours to arrive there from Paris, first by train, then by bus, and finally, on foot. To live in, I had an apartment with a kitchenette and a balcony. From the windows, I could see both the river Loing overlooking a big garden, and the Place de la République.
This big blue house was also filled with other residents living and working there. Most of them were from Gothenburg, Sweden, and stayed for shorter periods of time than I. Only one another Finn stayed after me for one month longer. I was the only writer; the others were musicians, AV-artists, painters, journalists and scientists. We would sometimes meet in the kitchen downstairs, go for walks or enjoy dinner and chats together.
I lived a simple, quiet life in Grez. My brain and whole system slowed down. The work could spread out and have more space and air. I was able to listen better again. This ‘listening’, to the text, to the surroundings, to ‘what is’, is in the core of my work, and essential to my way of working.
This quiet and simple life with routines was very healthy, as well. I would go outside twice a day, doing sports or just going for strolls and visiting other villages. Doing sports is often a bit challenging. It is good, because it triggers feelings and inspirations and, at the same time, it is possible to work out stress by moving, so that it does not pile up. But it doesn’t stop here, as a way to deal with stress; it moves on, transforms to whatever energy or matter which can be later seen in the results of the work.
The view from balcony to the river. Pic: Ewald Pollheimer
I went to France because I wanted to experience living in another society other than that which I already knew from living in: Austria, Germany, and Finland among others. I wanted to be able to spend time in other colours, customs, smells, and ways of thinking. I wanted to be listening to my surroundings and to different voices in Europe. And I did. There were a lot of possibilities to do this ”listening”, both in the nature and the villages and city. Like when I missed the last bus in Melun, 30 minutes from Grez, for the third time (!) and had to overcome it (again!). Or when I went walking in Paris or meeting friends. Or just buying bread at the local boulangerie, or taking part in the village fêtes.
The first exhibit that I visited in Paris was a good match for my working themes, which have to do with ‘fighting’ and ‘struggle’. It was ‘Power Plays’ in the Louvre. And there where others to follow, like the castle in Fontainebleau, with one black hat of Napoleon.
At the core of my artwork, there is this thought that in the end it all comes down to oneself. Everything that people do and decide together, has a beginning in the very private sensations of each individual. It is thus worthwhile to get to know oneself, more and better, the sameness and otherness, both of which also get formed by the surroundings.
I fell in love with Grez. The river Loing. The forest. On my strolls, I even saw small piglets (that turned out to be wild boars), swans sitting on their eggs, a few snakes, etc. My 3 months at the residency was both long and short at the same time. And before hearing SKR would let this residency go, I had already decided I would apply again. Europe is also very much worth to get to know, better and more. Not only, but particularly, for Europeans and European artists.
