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An open call for professional artists for the M_itä? Biennale of Contemporary Art 2025
An open call for artists for the fourth M_itä? Biennale of Contemporary Art opens on March 1, 2024. Application period ends on April 30, 2024. The biennale will open at the Kuopio Art Museum in Autumn 2025.
The M_itä? Biennale of Contemporary Art brings out the contemporary art of the region, offers exposure for Eastern Finns and artists of Eastern Finnish origin and improves their work opportunities. The goal of the biennale is to highlight the diversity of the professional artists of the area and to increase dialogue between actors in the art field. The biennale has been organized since 2019 in Kuopio, Mikkeli and Joensuu art museums. Now the Lappeenranta Art Museum has also joined the collaboration.
The Kuopio Biennale is an immersive, experiential exhibition that opens up new worlds and stimulates different senses. For the biennale, we seek for works that question what is true, that play with illusions and strangeness, and strong spatiality. The exhibition will be a living experience that combines art with a multi-sensory environment. Each step takes you deeper into the story, which unfolds differently for viewers in different spaces. The exhibition is a surprising and interactive whole, where art and the viewer merge together.
The biennale invites artists and art collectives representing different generations. The application can be submitted in Finnish or English. The open call is for professionals in the visual arts and also in other art fields, which means that you can propose works not only from different areas of the visual arts, but also from, for example, sound art, light art, word art or street art. Artists can apply with one artwork either individually or as part of a work group. The work groups can be multidisciplinary. The work can be multi-part, which enables the whole work to be placed both indoors and outdoors. The works meant for outdoors spaces should emphasize the element of surprise.
With the help of an exhibition architect, we build an exhibition where the spaces of the Kuopio Art Museum and our partners serve as a platform for experientiality. In addition to the exhibition space of the Kuopio Art Museum, the biennale will spread to other cultural institutions such as the Kuopio City Theatre, Kuopio Music Centre, Kuopio libraries and, if possible, outdoor spaces. The biennale is part of Kuopio's 250th anniversary year.
The chief curator of the Kuopio Biennale is visual artist/art consultant Kirsi Pitkänen. The curatorial group also includes amanuensis Karoliina Katila (Joensuu Art Museum), amanuensis Mikko Pirinen (Lappeenranta Art Museum) and curator Marja Louni (Kuopio Art Museum) and amanuensis Paula Hyvönen (Mikkeli Art Museum).
Enquiries and applications (in a PDF format) via e-mail to mitabiennaali@kuopio.fi
Required for the application:
- the content and execution of the work proposal
- a possible wish for the location of the work
- the composition of a possible work group
- tell us about the connection to Eastern Finland
- nclude max. 5 pictures
- possible website address
M_itä? Biennale of Contemporary Art Open Call: Frequently Asked Questions
1. What expenses will the Biennale reimburse?
We will pay the agreed travel and accommodation costs for the artists and will cover insurance and transport costs. In addition, we pay exhibition fees. We apply for grants to pay the artists' fees. We encourage selected artists to apply for grants to cover the production costs of their works.
2. Can I propose an existing site-specific work, or does it have to be completely new work?
You can propose an existing site-spesific work.
3. Is the Biennale only for artists from Eastern Finland?
The aim of the Biennale is to highlight contemporary art from Eastern Finland and related to Eastern Finland. The artist must have a sufficiently strong connection to Eastern Finland. For example, if you have lived or studied in Eastern Finland, we encourage you to apply.