Each year, Frame invites international contemporary art experts, such as curators and museum professionals, to visit Finland and discover the local contemporary art scene as part of Frame’s Visitor Programme. The visits are tailored to meet each guest’s interests, aiming to build international networks and to foster collaborations between the visitors, artists and other actors in the Finnish art scene.
Annually Frame arranges 20 to 30 visits, some of which are coordinated in partnership with local arts organisations and art museums. The guest programmes are planned by Frame’s programme team in collaboration with external contemporary art experts. In 2024 curator Amanda Hakoköngäs from the Aine Art Museum and artist-researcher Kari Yli-Annala have contributed as advisors. We asked them what the advisory role means in practice and how they make proposals to international visitors.
The proposals combine intuition and knowledge
Each year, dozens of contemporary artists are introduced to international professionals through Frame’s visitor programme. The aim is to ensure variety in the proposals, introducing a wide range of artists from different backgrounds and career stages. The goal is to present actors from the Finnish art scene comprehensively, while also considering the guests’ preferences. In the end, each guest chooses who and what kind of practitioners they wish to meet. Often guests are also interested in meeting other curators and visiting various art spaces.
Curator Amanda Hakoköngäs works at the Aine Art Museum in Tornio, northern Finland. In the advisory role, Hakoköngäs emphasises the need for intuition, where flexibility is required to combine different situations and background information.
“I start by familiarizing myself with the guest’s interests and background, based on which I consider which visual artist’s work might resonate with them. Often, intuition also plays a key role in this process,” Hakoköngäs says.
Kari Yli-Annala is a visual artist, moving image researcher, curator and teacher. He describes that his advisory role is rooted in a deep understanding of the Finnish art scene, accumulated through extensive experience.
“My work is based on the knowledge I have gathered and continuously expanded over the years about Finnish artists and actors, as well as available archives, research, and events. It encompasses art-making, writing, activism, research and curating.”
Entailing an element of surprise
The artist and programme proposals made by Frame and the advisors are largely based on the visiting curators’ interests and preferences expressed beforehand. Still, it is also important to include an element of surprise.
“When I receive information about the visiting curators, I try to align my recommendations with their stated interests. And if I notice any interesting events happening during their visit, I will inform them. While I specialize in moving image, I also recommend other art forms that the curators are interested in. In addition to well-known artists, I aim to highlight less exposed but equally talented artists if I believe their work would resonate with the curators”, Kari Yli-Annala says.
Amanda Hakoköngäs emphasizes the balance between more established artists and those who are just beginning to build their international careers. Hakoköngäs also highlights the importance of a regional perspective in her selections. Due to scheduling constraints and resources, most expert visitors stay only in the capital region, although the possibility to visit other parts of the country is offered when possible.
“It’s important for me to suggest meetings with artists outside the capital area because I believe that would interest Frame’s guests. I also like to showcase artists at various stages of their careers. Finland has some exceptional young artists whose work is of international interest,” Hakoköngäs adds.
Measuring the impacts of the Visitor Programme
The outcomes of the expert visitor program are carefully monitored. What makes it challenging is that exhibition invitations and other collaborations may emerge either soon after the visit, or years later. A visit might lead to prolonged communication, which eventually bears fruit further down the line. The visits have many purposes; long-term relationships are equally important than measurable outcomes.
“Many curators prefer to take their time building collaborations with artists. In some cases, however, partnerships can develop quickly, leading to immediate exhibition opportunities”, says Frame’s programme coordinator Arvid van der Rijt.
Each year, there are examples of concrete results and lasting impacts. For instance, artist Sepideh Rahaa’s introduction to curator Khanyisile Mbongwa led to her participation in the 2023 Liverpool Biennial, with further collaboration plans. Similarly, artist group PHOSfate (Pekka Niskanen & Mohamed Sleiman Labat), after connecting with curators Aude Christel Mgba and Bruno Alves de Almeida through the visitor programme, took part in the Luleå Biennial 2024. The previous year, artist Jani Ruscica’s meeting with curator Diana Campbell led to Ruscica’s participation in the Dhaka Art Summit 2023. Outi Pieski was invited to the 2022 Sydney Biennale after meeting Artistic Director José Roca in Helsinki the previous year.
“The meetings aim to foster both immediate and long-term opportunities for artists and other actors. In addition to carefully built visiting programmes, artists’ personal activity after the meeting has an influence. Each created connection adds layers to an expanding network of international collaborations and exhibitions”, Arvid van der Rijt says.
Frame’s Visitor programme in numbers:
Between 2013–2024 Frame has:
- Received visitors from 53 countries
- Hosted 446 visitors in Finland or online
- Facilitated 2 411 meetings with local artists and 1 298 meetings with organisations and arts professionals
- Proposed 929 unique artists, organisations, and professionals for meetings (counted since 2018)
You can browse lists of Frame’s International Visitors on our website and also suggest a visitor through a form on the website.