The portray was sent to few thousand e mail addresses, asking for active participation, to produce an election campaign, which would be launched from the Gallery Space. The protagonist on the image is an bosnian refugee, who fighted years for this finish citizenship, and argued that the proof of successful integration would be, if he could be the President of Finland. Our favorite campaign was created by an Artist from St. Petersburg, Igor Baskin.

“Wariness, fear of blunder and even cowardness are typical for politics and political decision making. Politics lacks what art has: the right to failure. If artists were as cautious and conservative as politicians, there wouldn’t be any new creative art at all. Creativity requires playing and experimenting, the ability to utilize the childish and omnipotent aspects of one’s personality. The fear of failure usually halts any creative process. In the field of art people recognize this. Artistic creation means that you throw security overboard and jump into the unknown and unforeseen. You just have to have the guts to jump.”

translated from: Claes Andersson: “Kaksitoista vuotta politiikassa – katkelmia, muistikuvia, unelmia” (Twelve years in politics – fragments, recollections, dreams), WSOY, Helsinki, 2000.

HIAP: Aleksander Nikolic
16.3. – 27.3. 2005

9.2 m2 – Don´t be afraid, you are at home

The exhibition is a process work and a series of events, during which the gallery space will host several guest artists, performers and participants. If you want to be a special guest or participate in the exhibition project, contact the artist .

9.2m2 was inspired by Austrian Regulations: if you want to invite someone from a Non – Schengen Country, you have to prove that there are 9.2m2 free space in your house or flat, for each person you’ll invite.

As the gallery has about 40 m2, there will be four topics/fields, which will be developed during the exhibition and there will be also other activities to activate certain individuals and groups around the town. Some of these process orientated activities are already started; some will start with the opening.

- Polemic poetry
- Image intervention
- Comic strip proposals
- Sound

Incl.: Pop Parliament, Manifest of inhabitants of the schizophrenic part of society, Diary of Network artist, etc.

Please note: sound will be recorded inside the exhibition space, and this sound will be used for further project development

For detailed information and program, please contact the artist:

HIAP – Helsinki International Artist-in-Residence Programme is one of the first international residence programs in Finland. Every year 10-12 visual artists, dancers, choreographers, curators and researchers visit HIAP for a 2-3 month working period. HIAP studios and offices are located at the Cable Factory cultural complex. HIAP was established in 1998.

Further info on HIAP residencies: http://www.hiap.fi/