Visual arts|The light art festival Lux Helsinki and the artist Katariina Souri have been in discussions throughout the spring. “He has asked us for a common understanding of whether there was an overreaction.”
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Lux Helsinki regrets the way in which the attention to content attached to the controversial work of artist Katariina Souri was spread and communicated.
The painting exhibited at the festival drew criticism for portraying Sámi through stereotypes.
The artist and Lux Helsinki have agreed on the matter.
Lux Helsinki published a press release on Thursday expressing regrets to the artist For Katariina Souri. Souri was one of the artists at the festival held in January.
Souri Bottom contact -the oil painting, which is part of the body of work, caused a lot of critical discussion in various media channels at the turn of last year. A work depicting a Sámi woman was considered cultural appropriation and was seen, for example In an interview with Helsingin Sanomat describing Sámi in a clichéd and repetitive way.
As a reaction to the criticism, Lux Helsinki attached a content note to the work, stating that the work contains parts in which indigenous peoples are portrayed stereotypically.
Why LUX Helsinki apologizes for its actions to the artist in June, almost half a year after the Lux Helsinki festival?
CEO of the Helsinki Events Foundation, which organizes Lux Helsinki Stuba Nikula says that there has been a conversation with Souri throughout the spring.
“He has sought a common understanding from us about whether there was an overreaction, and now we ended up with this type of understanding. So this is how we apologize.”
In the bulletin it is stated that the attention to content attached to Souri’s work was “formulated unnecessarily sharply”.
The content note read: “There are parts in the work where indigenous peoples are depicted stereotypically. Instead of removing the collection or the entire work, we want to generate constructive thinking about reconciling the rights of indigenous peoples and the freedom of art.”
It was played on loudspeakers in the event area, and it was also the text on the signboard.
Nikula states that attention to content could have been implemented better.
“It was played a little too often, and was it too loud, would a little less have been enough. In retrospect, it didn’t respect the artist and the work as it could have.”
Nikula says that he is happy that the matter now seems to be settled. Katariina Souri has also shared Lux Helsinki’s announcement on her own social media with the accompanying words “Now the matter is settled and I’m leaving this behind”.
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