5-7 September, Gallery Augusta, Festival of Experimental Live Arts

Festival of Experimental Live Arts UPROOTED Fake Nations, takes place at Gallery Augusta, Suomenlinna, Helsinki, on 5–7 September 2013. The programme focuses on artists of foreign origin and their contribution to cultural life in their foster country. Featured artists come from Canada, China, Gabon, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, United Kingdom, and The United States of America.

The festival is realised in collaboration with HIAP – Helsinki International Artist Programme and supported by the Arts Promotion Centre of Finland and the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia.

Participating artists are:

Ali Al-Fatlawi, Wathiq Gzar Al-Ameri, Nathalie Mba Bikoro, Klaus Boegel, Márcio Carvalho, Chuyia Chia, John Court, Yingmei Duan, Regina Frank, Shinji Kanki, Ray Langenbach, Johanna MacDonald, Malcom Manning, Marek Pluciennik, Elvira Santamaría Torres and Steve Vanoni. All the artists are recognised as well internationally as in the home country of their choice.

The festival puts the spotlight on immigrant artists as co-actors in the cultural life of their new home country. Changing country and rooting a new life is challenging. It requires initiative, the ability to create your own space, and courage to express yourself in a radical way. Immigrant artists are balancing on the fragile equilibrium between lacking the cultural and linguistic background of their new home country and having the ability to provide fresh viewpoints to this society.

The organisers Liina Kuittinen, Egle Oddo, Tomasz Szrama and Willelm Wilhelmus planned the event implying that Experimental Live Art is a universal language lending itself pre-eminently to describe and express trans-cultural identities.

UPROOTED Fake Nations is a follow-up of the Fake Finn Festival which was held in Helsinki in 2011. The FFF presented a selection of foreign artists who have been living from three to forty years in Finland, and the rich variety of their contribution to Finnish cultural life. This year’s programme includes some of the Fake Finn artists who participated in the previous festival.

The Fake Finn term was coined by festival curator Willem Wilhelmus. The festival and the concept had an international impact and several artists are identifying with the idea.

The Fake Finns activity continues individually and as a group.

Preliminary Programme

Thursday, September 5

Elvira Santamaría Torres, Nathalie Anguezomo Mba Bikoro, Klaus Boegel, Johanna MacDonald, Steve Vanoni

Friday, September 6

Ali Al-Fatlawi & Wathiq Gzar Al-Ameri, Chuyia Chia, Regina Frank, Shinji Kanki, Marek Waldemar Pluciennik, Steve Vanoni

Saturday, September 7

Marcio Carvalho, John Court, Yingmei Duan, Ray Langenbach, Malcolm Manning, Marek Waldemar Pluciennik, Closing Group (Inter)Action

Changes still possible!

Place and time:

Gallery Augusta, Suomenlinna B 28, Susisaari, Helsinki

Thursday, September 5 at 7–10 pm
Friday, September 6 at 7–10 pm
Saturday, September 7 at 6–10 pm

Free admission