8 April, 5 pm, MUU Gallery

JP Kaljonen and Evgenia Golant, HIAP artists-in-residence in April come together with Essi Kausalainen, who stayed in residence at HIAP Suomenlinna in the Autumn 2012, discuss their current projects and share experiences. Kausalainen’s recently opened exhibition is on view at MUU Gallery.

The artist talks and discussions will be held in English.

Evgenia Golant (b. 1973) is a Saint Petersburg based painter drawing influence from her traditional education which emphasized working from nature. Golant takes her paints and canvases to the streets and food markets of Saint Petersburg and paints what she sees. The tradition of portraiture receives new interpretations as she engages with (in many cases illegal) migrant workers in their daily environments, listening to their stories and painting their pictures. Atmosphere of a place and the often unpredictable reactions of the strangers she paints become part of her works. There is a strong tension in the painting situation, which creates non-ordinary, at times even risky communication.

JP Kaljonen (b.1976) is a Helsinki based visual artist working in the fields of social and participatory art. His projects are focused on intercultural communication and interplay between different social groups. The works are based on societal grounds and vary from video or photography to projects in public space. Kaljonen´s latest projects have been concentrating on migration in the Finnish as well as in global context. At the HIAP residency Kaljonen is working with two video works dealing with trans-European migration and developing art project to be realized in refugee camps in Bangladesh.

Essi Kausalainen (b. 1979) explores the complex relations between beings and things by creating ephemeral situations and spaces. The basis of her artistic practice is the human body with its senses, instincts and thoughts. By making performances, video installations and by drawing she makes notions on humans amongst other living things. Kausalainen views the world as an organism – as a constant movement of the different forms and ways of being. Her art translate the observations on the living into a poetic language of images, gestures and spaces.

The discussion is moderated by CuMMA (Curating, Managing, and Mediating Art Master’s Programme at the Aalto University) students Hanna Korhonen and Laura Kokkonen.

The event will be held at MUU Gallery, Lönnrotinkatu 33.