The Finnish Arts Scene

Leah Oates interviews Finnish artist and architect Jan-Erik Andersson.

Q: How would you describe the Finnish arts scene and the European arts scene? How does a European artist perceive the New York arts scene?

A: Finland is different because we have an extended grant system which makes it possible for several artists to work freely for 1-5 years. This is necesssary because of the lack of an art market. It has helped artists like Eija Liisa Ahtila to make an international career. I think we have a great art world in Finland. I curated an exhibition with artists from eastern Finland and the stuff they made was amazingly in touch with things I have seen on the international scene. So Intenet, TV and cheap flights have made, at least the western world, into one big unit. But of course there is one significant different. Not even the most famous artists in Finland gets rich! If you make it in bigger art centers you might find yourself operating with big sums of money, which gives you a certain freedom to do projects we in Finland couldn't dream of, like Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons. Mariko Mori's projects are on the scale of a rock band. Unthinkable of in Finland. But it is possible that the small scale and local energies become more and more important, when environmental an sustainability issues become more and more imortant."

To read full article click on: http://www.nyartsmagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6185&Itemid=712

Video Gem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDRlQqCytq8
(Eija Liisa Ahtila)