Past Residents Sevie Tsampalla
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Sevie Tsampalla in conversation with artist Eleni Tzirtzilaki and participants in the series of gatherings and residency on the island of Sifnos 'Home as Fabric', Victoria Square Project, Athens, April 2022. Photo: Ernestina Karystinaiou Eythymiatou
Sevie Tsampalla is a curator based in Brussels. Her practice explores sociopolitical imaginaries that emerge when art, commoning practices and urban space come together. With a background in art history and cultural studies, she was awarded a doctorate in exhibition studies by Liverpool John Moores University. Her research focuses on the relations and tensions between urban commons and large-scale exhibitions and builds on her practice, which spans involvement in artist collectives, collaborations with artist-led spaces and biennials. She was assistant curator at Liverpool Biennial 2016, led city-wide projects for Tate Liverpool and S.M.A.K.-Gent and is currently co-curating Bruges Triennial 2024.
I have never been in Helsinki and this is a great chance to engage with the art scene in the area. During my residency, I will take time to reflect on the next steps for my research on large scale exhibitions and commoning practices. It is great that Helsinki Biennial takes place during this time! Having grown up on a Greek island in South-East Mediterranean and currently working in the UNESCO World heritage site of Bruges, I am kin to explore the possible connections with the heritage of Suomenlinna and how these might feed into an exhibition project I am preparing.