This year’s Fine Arts Academy of Finland award goes to Outi Pieski (born 1973). The grounds for the award are the distinctive character, uniqueness and topicality of Pieski’s visual art. The monetary value of the prize, awarded every second year, is EUR 25,000. The prize was first awarded in 2013, to Tuomas A. Laitinen. The recipient for 2015 was Camilla Vuorenmaa. The prize is awarded in cooperation with the EMMA - Espoo Museum of Modern Art. Included in the prize are a publication and a private exhibition at EMMA. Pieski’s exhibition in EMMA will take place in 2018.
The prize is awarded to a Finnish artist who is at their creative peak, and whose oeuvre deserves greater visibility and recognition. Another important criterion is that the artist’s work be of international interest.
Pieski’s work draws on Sámi culture, and, as such, has an important topical content. Pieski nonetheless expresses her message in the subtle language of art, in abstracted form. Her art is not a platform for Sámi political agitation, but rather brings the question of minority culture to the fore by playing on the colours, forms, and methods associated with the Sámi handicraft tradition. References to the Northern light and landscape are also strongly present. In Pieski’s works, these elements also receive completely new associations that are separable from their origin. Pieski makes these associations by introducing references to her own personal experiences to her works. In this way, both her paintings and the large and materially abundant spatial installations embody lightness, sensitivity and immateriality. Pieski’s particular way of using colour for artistic effect and her method of spatial representation are also strongly inspirational for viewers. In reaching their decision, the jury felt that Pieski has great potential for creating a special exhibition for the Museum of Modern Art in Espoo, inviting viewers to indulge in the unique world she has created.
The prize committee, set up by the Fine Arts Academy of Finland, included the head of Fine Arts Academy Antti Linnovaara, executive director of EMMA Pilvi Kalhama, artist Anitta Ruotsalainen, and rector of the University of Lapland, Mauri Ylä-Kotola.
Further information:
Chairperson Antti Linnovaara, tel. +358 40 559 9721
Agent Päivi Liedes, tel. +358 400 418 451
Executive director of EMMA Pilvi Kalhama, tel. +358 40 533 4070, pilvi.kalhama@emma.museum
Press photos:
https://kuvat.emma.museum/kuvat/Lehdistokuvat-Press/Taideakatemian+palkinto/
Keyword: emmamuseum