Art Book Friends and Family Sale

HAM will be holding an Art Book Friends and Family Sale on Saturday 17 December from 11.30 am to 7 pm. Visitors will have the opportunity to browse a comprehensive collection of Finnish art literature. Publishing houses and other art field actors will be selling their books, and new books will be discussed in HAM Hall. The HAM Shop at the museum will be offering discounts on art books all day.

Programme

12:00–12:30

Tekla Inari – Iida Ylämäki. A conversation with Jaakko Suomalainen and Johannes Romppanen.

Artist Tekla Inari’s text and photograph work Iida Ylämäki (Bokeh 2022) is a depiction of today’s Helsinki. It is a work of documentary fiction, a collage novel that explores the experiences and thoughts of a poor yet creative woman. This multifaceted literary work that dodges genre specifications will be discussed with the author by graphic designer Jaakko Suomalainen and photo book inspirer Johannes Romppanen.

12:40–13:10

Art by two – dialogical creation in Finnish contemporary art. Critic Sini Mononen interviews researcher Maria Hirvi-Ijäs.

The traditional Western way of thinking has often entailed a need to highlight an individual artist’s position in artistic creation. In contemporary art, a duo formed by two artists has only established itself as form of creating and performing in the last 20 years. Unlike artist couples, duos are not necessarily life partners, but have chosen cooperation as their working method. The reasons for and the practices of working as a pair vary in relation to both work processes and public activities.

13:20–13:50

Jessie Bullivant and James Prevett reading their new works. Introduction by Tuukka Kaila.

Jessie Bullivant’s work Attached is a collection of letters of support that document Bullivant’s diverse range of artworks from the past decade. With the book, the artist raises questions about how immaterial artworks are preserved, accessed and remembered. James Prevett’s book Things for Homes / Homes for Things  examines people’s social relationship with the objects around them and the behaviour of sculptures in the home environment. The authors will be reading excerpts from their newly published books. Bullivant and Prevett will be introduced by the publisher of the books, Tuukka Kaila from Rooftop Press.

14:00–14:30

Pictorialism – the genesis of photographic art. A conversation with curators Sofia Lahti and Max Fritze from the Finnish Museum of Photography.

Pictorialism was the first photographic art movement, the heyday of which lasted in Europe roughly from the 1880s to the 1920s. The trend of pictorial aesthetics was characterised by the pursuit of beauty, atmosphere and a hazy and out-of-focus expression that corresponds with the natural visual experience. Artists would strive towards beauty through means of demanding proofing and shading techniques. The early masters and masterpieces of Finnish pictorialism will now be given the spotlight for the first time in book format through magnificent photographs and fresh research articles. What kind of photographic artists were Fritz Englund, Oiva Kallio, Daniel Nyblin, Alfred Nybom and Johannes Schalin? And who were the women of pictorialism?

14:40–15:10

Viggo Wallensköld – his entire literary output. An interview by Aleksi Siltala.

Who is Anatolij D. Mbdrinov and how is everything ultimately related to mushrooms? Viggo Wallensköld’s literary output includes incredible and eventful tales from the life of mycologist Anatolij D. Mbdrinov. The Kardanian mycologist is a brilliant yet controversial expert in several fields. Wallensköld illustrates his own works, and his illustrations include both acrylic and ink paintings. Some of his books also feature poems, rhymes and recipes. Wallensköld’s latest literary work, Neuroosit ja traumat (‘Neuroses and Traumas’), was published this year.

15:20–15:50

Torsten Wasastjerna – a world of fairytales and fantasy. Chief Curator Lotta Nylund from Villa Gyllenberg interviews art history docent Erkki Anttonen.

Torsten Wasastjerna (1863–1924) was a significant artist in Finland’s golden era, and his key works were created between the 1880s and the 1910s. Wasastjerna studied in Düsseldorf and Paris, and his style transitioned from realistic scenery paintings to impressionism and symbolism. He is best known for his progressively impressionist paintings from around 1890. By contrast, his symbolist and large fantasy and fairytale works have not received much attention.

16:00–16:30

Satu Savia – Helsinki in colour – colour photographs from the 1950s–1970s

Helsinki City Museum’s popular photo book Helsinki väreissä (‘Helsinki in Colour’) is a visually impressive work compiled from the gems of the museum’s collection of authentic colour photos from the 1950s–1970s. The cityscape of Helsinki past comes alive on the pages of the book thanks to the images glowing in colour. The editor of the book, researcher Satu Savia, will showcase the book and its nostalgic photos that will take you back to the olden days of Helsinki.

16:40–17:10

Tero Puha – intimate light. HAM Helsinki Art Museum’s coordinator Antti Kauppinen interviews photographic artist Tero Puhaa.

Award-winning photographer and visual artist Tero Puha has made a name for himself with his photos and object works that draw from pop culture and consumption aesthetics and often depict a male body that has been ironised and strongly aestheticised – occasionally almost to the point of unnaturalness. Puha’s art focuses on topical themes, such as the problematic connection between body image and gender, and the body as a social construction.

17:20–17:40

Sezgin Boynik – Rab-Rab Press recent pulishing projects

Sezgin Boynik will summarize the recent publishing projects of Rab-Rab Press, which is an independent publishing platform based in Helsinki combining experimental art forms and rigorous scholarly dedication with leftist politics and a punk attitude. Boynik will talk about international projects, collaborations, editorial strategies, and future plans of Rab-Rab Press. The focus of the talk will be Karel Teige’s The Marketplace of Art, the most recent publishing project.

17:40–18:00

Hilla Kurki – Almost All the Flowers in My Mother’s Garden. A discussion with Valter Sandell.

A conversation between artist Hilla Kurki and critic Valter Sandell on topics such as the relationship between literary and visual content in the work Almost All the Flowers in My Mother’s Garden.

Changes to the schedule are possible.

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Participating in the event:

Bokeh Editions

HAM

Helsinki City Museum

Khaos publishing

Kustannus Taide

KuvA/Aalto student publishing

PARVS

Rab-Rab Press

Rooftop Press

Theatre’s New Base Library

Utu Press