Finland may seem like a cold, distant land better known for Nokia and reindeer than photography and art. But the Helsinki School, an art cooperative formed about 15 years ago, is heating up the international photography and video art world. Showing in Asia for the first time, the Helsinki School's photography exhibition at Shiseido Gallery in Ginza till Aug. 9 is wowing viewers with works by four female members.
Titled "Internal and External Landscapes," the show is celebrating the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Finland and Japan and the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Shiseido Gallery, which has been a pioneer in supporting female artists. The Helsinki School has only about 60 members, who are carefully chosen from among graduates and faculty of the University of Art and Design, Helsinki, and are given education and support throughout their careers.
"This was a collective long-term strategy designed by myself and executed with the help of the university," says Timothy Persons, the charismatic director of the Professional Studies Program at the university and chief curator for Helsinki School exhibitions. "We take our best students and introduce them to the international community."