Helsinki Photography Biennial
Mark your calendars for the Helsinki Photography Biennial (HPB) in 2012 March and April. HPB is a series of events on photo/lens-based contemporary art, organized every two years in spring by the Union of Artist Photographers in Finland.In April 2012 the biennial will for the first time expand into a month of photography. HPB12 is spreading, not only to the main partner museums, but also to various galleries and into public space in the Finnish capital, summing up to more than 60 individual exhibitions and events. The biennial creates a highly visible and interesting set of events for the art form whose role as one of the most interesting mediums in both Finnish and international contemporary art is beyond question.
HPB12 explores the city and the urban way of life by the means of photography. The main exhibitions of HPB12 explore the city as a constructed environment, an interface for living. They seek to offer viewpoints on the kind of world we are building around ourselves, and how the built and planned environment affects us, in turn. How does art encounter the city, and how does the city receive art? HPB12 has invited more than 30 artists from all over the world to take part in the main exhibitions. These artists are Isidro Blasco (Spain/USA), John Duncan (Northern Ireland), Juha Allan Ekholm (Finland), Susan Hiller (UK), Kalle Lampela (Finland), Adam Magyar (Hungary), David McMillan (Canada), Enrique Metinides (Mexico), Jian Pengyi (China), Dana Popa (Romania), Nicolas Provost (Belgium), Sanni Seppo (Finland), Christopher Thomas (Germany), to name a few.
The curatorial method, for the main exhibitions, is a teamwork process. The curatorial team consists of photographic artists Ari Kakkinen, Marko Karo, Harri Pälviranta, Kari Soinio and Hanna Weselius, and curator Jari Harju from the Helsinki City Museum. The main exhibitions of the HPB12, under the theme of ‘city and urbanity’, will be organized in Helsinki City Museum venues: Hakasalmi Villa and Sederholm House. The opening festivities of the HPB12 and the main exhibitions will be held on March 1st and 2nd 2012. An opening seminar is planned for March 2nd 2012, and opening festivities of the month of photography in the beginning of April 2012.
The preliminary program of the HPB12 is published today, November 18th 2011, at www.hpb.fi. A more specific schedule will be released during early 2012.
Welcome to Helsinki in spring 2012!
For further information on HPB12:
www.hpb.fi
Facebook
info@hpb.fi
Helsinki Photography Biennial / Union of Artist Photographers
Kalevankatu 18 B, FI-00100 Helsinki, Finland
Dates:
Main exhibitions:
Hakasalmi Villa, March 2–April 22, 2012
Sederholm House, March 2–April 29, 2012
Seminar: March 2, 2012
Month of Photography: April 2012
The HPB12 is organized by the Union of Artist Photographers in Finland in collaboration with Helsinki City Museum. The HPB12 has been generously supported by: Alfred Kordelin Foundation, Ministry of Education and Culture, Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland, and WSOY Foundation.
