Ars 01 at Kiasma: Unfolding Perspectives

The sixth edition of Ars 01, held at Kiasma in Helsinki from September 30, 2001, to January 20, 2002, was curated by Maaretta Jaukkuri, Tuula Arkio, Patrik Nyberg, and Jari-Pekka Vanhala under the title 'Unfolding Perspectives.' The exhibition aimed to create a 'third space' for intercultural dialogue, avoiding neo-colonial clichés. It featured 73 artists of multiple nationalities. However, the curatorial approach, which gave each artist their own space, hindered dialogue between works. Preliminary conference days were progressively abandoned by artists tired of discussions about passports and migration rather than art. Notable works included Bojan Sarcevic's invitation of Turkish orchestra Barbaros Ekorse, which played pop music in the traditional maqam style, reversing cultural exoticism; Santiago Sierra's hiring of a Finnish unemployed man to guard his excavation outside the museum; and Wang Du's 'Luxe Populaire,' monumental newspaper balls critiquing media consumption.