The Award Panel has unanimously decided to name the following artists as the candidates for the prize (in alphabetical order): Sanna Kannisto (b. 1974), Janne Räisänen (b. 1971) and Camilla Vuorenmaa (b. 1979). The prize consists of 25,000 euros and a solo exhibition at EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art and the accompanying publication.
The shortlisted artists are among the most talked-about names in the Finnish and international art circuit. While each of the artists has already achieved varied recognition in the field of art, the Award Panel feels that their topical, unique and innovative work now deserves a further acknowledgement.
The Award Panel states:
Sanna Kannisto’s work challenges the boundaries of art and science and her unique art stands out in the wide-ranging field of Finnish photography. Kannisto’s art is marked by the scientific and documentary aesthetic combined with the exoticism of nature that is removed from reality. Kannisto is a visual anthropologist of our time, whose methods draw on both historical still life and allegorical painting as well as fictional, staged tableaux. Beyond Kannisto’s scientifically exact approach, there lies the artistic core of her work – a complex dialogue between fact and fiction. Ironic and humorous, Kannisto’s photography invites the viewer to ponder the limits of a human being in their effort to harness nature through various means.
The joy of doing and living emanate from Janne Räisänen’s expressive painting. He has stood out among painters since his early career at the turn of the millennium. His subject matter reflects different spheres of contemporary culture. Today, his works still convey the spontaneity, humour and boundless imagination for which the artist has come to be known, but which now have assumed a more eloquent form: the abundance of material has been exchanged for a more nuanced narrative, more implicit references and more subtle expression. This gives the work a whole new luminance and exceptionally expressive strength.
Camilla Vuorenmaa is an artist of highly idiosyncratic and inimitable expression who has shown the ability to expand what is possible in the art of painting. Vuorenmaa’s works are often have a three-dimensional or relief-like character, and displaying works within a certain space, in relation to one another, is a key element in her art. The coarse aesthetic, in which the method, the artist’s personal style and a certain ruggedness are allowed to show, is emblematic of Vuorenmaa’s work. In her recent paintings, created using a wood carving technique, she demonstrates her exquisite technical mastery. She employs a combination of wood carving and painting to study the powerful emotional states of her subjects. Portraiture as a genre paired with strong expression creates a tense atmosphere in the paintings.
For further information, please contact:
Pilvi Kalhama, Museum Director, tel. +358 40 5334070
Antti Linnovaara, Chair of the Fine Arts Academy of Finland Foundation and the Award Panel, tel. +358 40 5599721.
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