© Arttu Nieminen, Avaruuskaipuu 2020

The project received funding because of:
The fund considers the project to reconstruct perceptions of the Arctic and sees that the project connects Nordic arts and culture together with global contexts.

The applicant wrote about the project:
In 2020, the Artists’ Association of Lapland (AAL) celebrates 30 years with two international summer events: 

1) A concept exhibition ‘Icecream’, curated by Misha del Val (FI) and Andreas Hoffmann (NO/Greenland - Arctic Culture Lab), involving a dialogue between Nordic artists from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Greenland, Faroe Islands and Åland, plus northern Russia, and a selection of artists from the AAL, and 

2) ‘Odd Garden’ (Kumma puutarha), a socially and environmentally engaged week-long art symposium, bringing environmental art of Nordic artists to the heart of the city of Rovaniemi. 

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the exhibition ‘Icecream’ will be presented in 2021.

While 'Arctification' is a phenomenon, by which partial and simplistic views and ideas are fabricated, imposed and sustained on the Arctic, to suit political and economical agendas and/or a widespread naive sentimentality, the ‘De-arcticfication’ in Nordic Arts project aims at giving a voice to contemporary Nordic Arctic arts; to confront and dispel inaccurate notions about the region; to promote perspectives on the multi-layered complexity of the North, and to broaden any provisional definition about an Arctic identity. De-Arcticfication, also means, by extension, a break away from the conventional shared ideas about any given matter, that limit our perceptions and our critical sense

The project aims for revising misperceived notions about the Arctic region that uphold its place within Nordic culture and Nordic inhabitants, and which produce sustainable collaborations between different cultural stakeholders in the region. We promote cultural pride in the Arctic region shared by Nordic countries. The project encourages Nordic artists to invigorate a debate on the significance of contemporary Nordic Arctic culture and its place within Nordic culture al large.

30 Nordic Artists’ Perspectives on De-Arcticfication to Celebrate 30 Years of the Artists’ Association of Lapland - Participating artists
Amanda Riffo (IS)
Arttu Nieminen (FI)
Eliina Hurtig (FI)
Friday Milk (RU)
Hanna Kanto (FI)
Henri Hagman (FI)
Jaakko Heikkilä (FI)
Jouko Alapartanen (FI)
Julie Edel Hardenberg (GL
Kaija Kiuru (FI)
Karoliina Paatos (FI)
Konsta Huusko (FI)
Leila Lipiainen (FI)
Mari Oikarinen (FI)
Mariane Lyngsø and Pia Möller-Light (DK)
Outi Pieski (FI)
Panu Johansson (FI)
Pattern Collective (FI)
Peter Winquist (Åland)
Pirkko Mäkelä-Haapalinna (FI)
Raisa Raekallio (FI)
Randi Samsonsen (FO)
Risto Immonen (FI)
Seija Ulkuniemi (FI)
Sanna Haimila (FI)
Satu Kalliokuusi (FI)
Savu Korteniemi (FI)
Tanya Busse (NO)
Timo Jokela (FI)
Tomas Colbengtson (SE)
Tuomas Korkalo (FI)

© Arttu Nieminen, Avaruuskaipuu 2020