Pilvi Takala's Security Guard Investigation for Finnish Pavilion at 59th Venice Biennale

For the 59th Venice Biennale, Pilvi Takala will present a video installation titled Close Watch in the Finnish Pavilion located in the Giardini. The work stems from her six-month covert employment as a fully-qualified security guard for Securitas at one of Finland's largest shopping centers. Takala's project examines the private security industry, addressing themes of authority in public spaces, workplace culture, and de-escalation techniques. She secured special permission from Finland's Ministry of Culture for her director of photography Katharina Diessner to enter the country during border closures, citing the project's national importance. The artist views her participation as a means to gain leverage and resources, noting that being taken seriously by entities like Securitas was facilitated by her Biennale platform. Takala discovered her artistic calling after encountering Eija-Liisa Ahtila's work in 2000. She recalls a formative 2003 student workshop in Venice, where she collaborated with Hans Rosenström and navigated the city without a smartphone. Among the neighboring pavilions she anticipates are the Sámi Pavilion featuring Pauliina Feodoroff, Máret Ánne Sara, and Anders Sunna; Maria Eichhorn's German Pavilion; Kristina Norman and Bita Razavi's Estonian Pavilion in the Rietveld Pavilion; and melanie bonajo's Dutch Pavilion at Chiesetta della Misericordia of Art Events. The 2022 Venice Biennale runs from April 23 to November 27.