Saastamoinen Foundation Keynote Lecture Series is a vital element in the Academy of Fine Arts’ internationalisation programme. The series focuses on topics such as the role of art education in the pursuit of democracy and global fairness.
Each year, the lecture series invites an internationally renowned curator, artist or researcher to Helsinki to open a discussion about topical themes relating to the world of contemporary art.
The lectures focus on developing the knowledge required by artists to set off on diverse career paths internationally and reflect on the different creative reactions of artists to the challenges of globalisation.
Upcoming lectures
Andrea Giunta
Feburary 2020
Earlier lectures
Martha Rosler
May 2019
Martha Rosler (b. 1943) is an artist and activist who has addressed social issues in her art since the 1960s.She is best known for her photographs, photo montages and videos whose themes often are pacifist, feminist or consumer-critical.In her montages, Rosler has juxtaposed advertising material from newspapers with images of war, both in the 1970s and during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2000s.In spite of the dark themes, Rosler’s work is full of humour, parody and even satire.She continues her fight against social injustice, and in her most recent works she has also targeted such figures as Donald Trumpfor criticism.Rosler has also written extensively about photography in art.
Read an article about Rosler in Helsingin Sanomat here: https://www.hs.fi/kulttuuri/art-2000006105221.html
Adam Szymczyk
January 2018
Polish art critic and curator Adam Szymczyk (b. 1970) made a name for himself as the artistic director of Documenta 14, curator of the 2008 Berlin Biennale, and director of Kunsthalle Basel.The prestigious international art magazine ArtReview has named him the fourth most influential figure in the art world.
Elmgreen & Dragset
11.1.2017, 6:00 pm, Uniart Exhibition Laboratory
Okwui Enwezor
January 2016
Nigerian-born Okwui Enwezor is a widely-renowned art world figure and currently one of the leading international curators. The All the World’s Futures exhibition at the 2016 Venice Biennale is one example of the numerous biennales and landmark museum exhibitions he has curated. Known as a post-colonial thinker, Enwezor has continued to enhance awareness of non-Western art since his first major curatorial projects in the 1990s. At the 56th Venice Biennale, he brought political art to the fore, highlighting numerous ongoing crises and new takes on the future of our world.
Okwui Enwezori's interview with YLE 14.1.2016 (Finnish)
Photo: Elmar Vestner