Artist Priss Niinikoski’s performance piece, Sonic mediations, will be showcased at EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art during the spring as part of the Saastamoinen Foundation’s collection exhibition, Dialogues. This marks the first performance art piece acquired for the Foundation’s art collection. Sonic mediations will be on display at EMMA in spring 2025.
Photo: Saara Vuola
Photo: Saara Vuola
Photo: Saara Vuola
Photo: Saara Vuola
Photo: Saara Vuola
Performance art as part of the art collection
Performance art is intrinsically linked to the moment of its performance. It has traditionally been viewed as ephemeral and difficult to collect. Recently, however, both art institutions and private collectors have shown increasing interest in acquiring performance art pieces.
Technological advancements have influenced the possibilities for documenting and commercialising performance art. While traditional museum conservation methods are designed for physical objects, new documentation methods, such as high-performance video cameras, facilitate the purchase and archiving of performance art. Thus, developing technology and the increasing prevalence of performance art in art collections are reshaping perceptions of art ownership and archiving.
For the Foundation, acquiring Niinikoski’s performance piece is part of its commitment to supporting the diversity of contemporary art through its ever-evolving art collection. At the same time, the Foundation aims to make performance art more accessible to a wider audience.
To be collectable, a performance piece must be able to exist without its original performer, for example, by allowing alternative performers. The Sonic mediations performance will be recorded by museum professionals. This enables the preservation of the piece and ensures that individuals other than the artist herself can perform Niinikoski’s work.
“Niinikoski not only has the ability to combine new technology with traditional handcraft, but also a deep understanding of spatiality and embodiment. I am eagerly anticipating the performances of the piece at EMMA and am proud that the first performance and sound installation acquired for the art collection has been meticulously designed down to the last detail, while also being wonderfully open thanks to its performative element,” says Päivi Karttunen, Chair of the Foundation’s Art Committee.
An interplay of body, technology, and structures
Priss Niinikoski is a Finnish-French artist who combines technology, sound, and textiles in her work. The 27-year-old artist will graduate from the Academy of Fine Arts at the Uniarts Helsinki in spring 2025. Niinikoski’s physical piece, Sonic mediations, was exhibited in 2024 at Kuvan Kevät, the annual master’s degree exhibition organised by the Academy of Fine Arts. The piece acquired by the Foundation and becoming part of its art collection is complemented by the acquired performance.
Sonic mediations is both a sound installation and a performance. It explores the interplay of body, technology, and structures. In the performances, hand-woven textiles act as sensors and mediators, which the artist’s body activates in conjunction with the space. As the body becomes part of the piece, unpredictable situations arise between sound, materials and people.
“In the piece, I juxtapose the materiality of textiles, technology, and sound by exploring soft electronics and coded sound processes. By transforming textiles into sensors and speakers, metal and natural materials are interwoven both technologically and metaphorically. As hand-embroidered and forged technical objects interact with the body, a performative sound installation is attuned to the space. By observing and reflecting the sounds of the environment, the piece itself becomes the object of listening,” says Priss Niinikoski about her Sonic mediations piece.
“In my art, I challenge the traditional agency of textiles and apply textile work methods and concepts to other materials, such as the body, data, and sound. Algorithmic repetition is central to my work, mirroring the structural logic of textiles,” Niinikoski continues.
Sonic mediations opened as part of the Dialogues collection exhibition on 8 April 2025. The performance will be held several times during the spring. Performance times are available on the EMMA website, where you can register for a performance.
Read more about Niinikoski’s Sonic mediations and book your place for a performance here.
Saastamoinen Foundation Art Collection is one of Finland’s most significant collections of Finnish and international art, with new works being continuously acquired. The Foundation’s collection is housed at EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art, where it is regularly exhibited in rotating collection exhibitions. The current Dialogues exhibition is based on the dialogue between the works and is curated primarily from recent acquisitions to the Foundation’s art collection. The first part of the exhibition was completed in 2023 and the second part in November 2024. The third part of the exhibition will open at EMMA in autumn 2025.
