The Henna and Pertti Niemistö Art Foundation – ARS FENNICA sr awards every other year Finland’s most significant visual arts prize of 50,000 euros. The international art expert, Anne Barlow, director at Tate St Ives, selected Emilija Škarnulytė from Lithuania as the recipient of the 2023 Ars Fennica Award from among the candidates.
The nominees and the internationally renowned art expert selecting the awardee were chosen by a panel chaired by Leena Niemistö, Vice Chairman of the Henna and Pertti Niemistö Art Foundation and comprising Eija-Liisa Ahtila, artist and filmmaker, Leevi Haapala, Director of Kiasma and Kai Kartio, Director of Amos Rex. The award is given in recognition of an individual artistic oeuvre of outstanding quality.
The joint exhibition of the candidates is on display at Kiasma until January 28, 2024. In addition to Emilija Škarnulytė, the exhibition features Henni Alftan and Tuomas A. Laitinen from Finland, Lap-See Lam from Sweden and Camille Norment from Norway. Visitors to the exhibition can also vote for their favourite, and following the conclusion of the exhibition, the audience award will be presented.
The Henna and Pertti Niemistö Art Foundation – ARS FENNICA sr was established in 1990 to promote the visual arts. Exhibitions showcasing the Ars Fennica nominees have previously been presented in Kiasma five times, in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2014 and 2017. The nominees have included artists from Finland, the Nordic and Baltic countries.
The exhibition is curated by Piia Oksanen, Kiasma. The exhibition is organized in collaboration between Kiasma and Henna and Pertti Niemistö Art Foundation – ARS FENNICA sr.
Link to the recording of the event https://livekanava.fi/arsfennica2023/
