Kristin Wiking, Matti Harju and Ristomatti Myllylahti selected for alumni residencies 2022

Artists for the alumni residencies at Jan Eyck Academie, LIFT and SPACE 2022 have been selected. Residency programmes, aimed at the alumni of the Academy of Fine Arts, support post-graduate studies of visual artists in high-quality residencies abroad.

Kristin Wiking, Upstairs (detail), 2020. HD video, sound, live video, electronics, stair, tennis balls.
Kristin Wiking, Upstairs (detail), 2020. HD video, sound, live video, electronics, stair, tennis balls.

Uniarts Helsinki’s Academy of Fine Arts, in partnership with Saastamoinen Foundation, provides international opportunities and career support for academy graduates in the form of residency grants.

Our programme partners are SPACE Art + Technology in London, ISCP – International Studio & Curatorial Program in New York, Jan van Eyck Academie in Maastricht, LIFT – Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto, and Cove Park and Scottish Sculpture Workshop in Scotland.  

The call for Jan van Eyck, LIFT, and SPACE residencies was open 13 February – 13 March 2022. 

International panel made preselection, based on which each residency partner selected a former student of the Academy of Fine Arts to participate in their programmes. Kristin Wiking has been selected for the residency at Jan van Eyck, Matti Harju for the residency at LIFT, and Ristomatti Myllylahti for the residency at SPACE.

Saastamoinen Foundation and Academy of Fine Arts congratulates all selected alumni!

Jan van Eyck Academie, Maastricht

Kristin Wiking has been selected for the Jan van Eyck Academie residency 2022. Extract from the application evaluation made by the preselection jury panel:

We found the tone of this proposal not only refreshing, but also creatively irreverent. Beyond the “mastery of all things technical” and the hilarious, low-tech, Beckett-esque sculptural performances, there is a clear desire to find new collaborators. Kristin Wiking’s will to deconstruct comedy as timing, music, deficiency and the unexpected – the temporal spatial knowledge of a comedian – is definitely something that could contribute to the JVE environment in unexpected and joyful/painful ways.”

Kristin Wiking.

Jury panel for the alumni residency at Jan van Eyck Academie 2022:

  • Daniel Peltz, professor of Time and space, Academy of Fine Arts
  • Jonatan Habib Engqvist, curator and author, Stockholm
  • Ayesha Hameed, senior lecturer in Visual Cultures at Goldsmiths, University of London

LIFT – Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto

Matti Harju has been selected for the LIFT residency. The 12-month residency period starts in fall 2022.

The jury panel really appreciated Matti’s intuitive approach and the hybrid quality of his moving image work which combines different formats, it was clear that film is his “first language”. The process-based nature of Matti’s work assured that Matti could really benefit from the access to the equipment, the community, and the technical know-how available at LIFT. In addition, Matti articulated clear aims for his time at LIFT and demonstrated an understanding of the experimental film scene in Toronto and how he would benefit from profiling his work within it and connecting to other filmmakers there.

Matti Harju: still from the video Three days of rain, 2022.

Jury panel for the alumni residency at LIFT 2022:

  • Lucy Rose Sollitt, independent curator and writer, London
  • Eleni Gioti, Co-Director at Light Cone, Paris
  • Milja Viita, filmmaker and artist, Finland

SPACE Art + Technology, London

Ristomatti Myllylahti has been selected for the SPACE residency. The three-month residency period starts in fall 2022.

The jury appreciated the sound art aspect of Ristomatti’s work and the varied approach to it – from incorporating sound in sculptural installations to immersive sound experiences such as the “Sleep Concert”. This residency and the London context would present an ideal opportunity to explore the AI-based generative aspects of Risomatti’s pieces, both for potential performances in London and for his upcoming exhibition at Sinne. The timing of the residency would also allow Ristomatti to reconnect with the experimental sound and visual art scene in London following the pandemic.”

Ristomatti Myllylahti: Elatu Nessa. Photo: Sakari Tervo.

Jury panel for the alumni residency at SPACE 2022:

  • Lucy Rose Sollitt, independent curator and writer, London
  • Eleni Gioti, Co-Director at Light Cone, Paris
  • Milja Viita, filmmaker and artist, Finland

The residency programme is a part of the International Incubators in Fine Arts project, established by Uniarts Helsinki’s Academy of Fine Arts and the Saastamoinen foundation. The project aims to build a dialogue between teaching in fine arts and the international field of art.