Inventing Artists
Inventing Artists was a four-week community art project in collaboration with Culture Centre Valve’s Urban Neighbourhood Culture, deufert&plischke, D-asema, Photo North – Northern Photocraphic Centre, and Goethe-Institut Finnland.
Over a period of four weeks, eight people from Oulu met several evenings a week at the D-asema cultural centre to invent an artist who doesn't exist, but could or even should.
The project sought creative individuals through an open call for participants in February 2024. Eight applicants were selected to be part of the group, which was led by deufert&plischke.
Looking back to the future: How do we invent an artist together?
The aim was to jointly invent an artist specializing in photography and to find and create their life and work in Oulu and the surrounding area. In this way, the artist who does not exist, but perhaps could exist, is given a voice, as are all of those who invented them.
The group met for the first time on April 16th. In the first week, the artist's biography was defined in more detail. Topics included gender, her relationship with grandmother, work opportunities, precariousness, political conflict in the 21st century, violence against women worldwide, e.g. Tools such as photographs, notes, drawings, and writing were used.
Participants reconstructed excerpts of the artist's work by inventing and creating them themselves. The project culminated in the multidisciplinary exhibition "Hän on [AlyÆŋ]," which presents the work of the fictional artist to the public for the first time. The art exhibition is open at D-asema until June 11, 2024, during D-asema's opening hours.
Inventing Artists working group:
Arina Lykova
Kajetan Żelech-Alatarvas
Shima Salehi
Hamed Jalili
Jonna Malmberg
Suvi Autto
Inkeri Jäntti
Mahanaz Tabassum
Video Documentary
Past events:
Open doors at D-asema
Friday 3.5.2024 at 18.30–20
D-asema (Valtatie 53, Tuira)
Free admission
Project presentation event
Wednesday 8.5.2024 at 13.30–15
Restaurant Paljetti, Cultural Centre Valve
Free admission
Hän on [AlyÆŋ] art exhibition opening
Saturday 11.5.2024 at 17–21
D-asema (Valtatie 53, Tuira)
Free admission
Art exhibition: Hän on [AlyÆŋ]
11.5.–11.6.2024
Multidisciplinary exhibition
D-asema, Valtatie 53
Check the current opening hours from D-asema Oulu's Facebook page.
Free admission
