Grant year encouraged artist Essi Kausalainen to work on different scales
“I hope that my works have attracted interest and fuelled curiosity. For many people, they probably represent a lesser-known area of art,” Essi Kausalainen says as she ponders what kind of an imprint her grant year has left on Espoo. Kausalainen was appointed Espoo Artist of the Year 2023.
In spring 2023, Kausalainen produced an experimental stage performance entitled Barbara ja häntä (Barbara and the tail) that was showcased in a studio apartment in Tapiola. The performance is the first part of the Tutkijat (Scientists) trilogy based on three scientists whose work has changed the way of thinking and working in their field. Kausalainen describes the first part of the trilogy as personal.
“Performing in the studio apartment felt like a nice way to share my work and see how the performance expanded into a gesture of visiting,” Kausalainen says.
Kausalainen feels that the grant year encouraged her to work on different scales. Small and intimate projects are meaningful, but the grant also enabled working in bigger teams. Kausalainen names collaboration one of the most important aspects of the year, as her works were created in artistic dialogue with other artists.
“Long-term funding enables different scales and continuity in projects such as the collaboration with my partners in Chicago,” Kausalainen says.
During the grant year, Kausalainen co-created a performance entitled The Fossil Record with a team of Chicago-based artists. The Fossil Record is part of the Carnival of the Animals series of modular performance works, which attempts to understand the current state of nature and humans. The performance premiered at Turku City Theatre last autumn, after which it was also presented in Chicago, the United States.
For Kausalainen, one of the memorable events of the year was when the Chicago-based group arrived in Espoo to rehearse at the Otaniemi upper secondary school.
“For artists coming from the United States, it’s incomprehensible that there are grants that can be awarded to experimental artists and experimental practice. The grant has an enormous impact on the fact that we can focus on artistic content without having to worry about structures,” Kausalainen says.
The year has also included bonus works and exhibitions, which have been pleasant surprises for Kausalainen. The Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma invited Kausalainen to create a performance that was prepared in collaboration with the exhibition invigilators.
“I’m interested in how the exhibition invigilators become experts in the works on display. After all, the invigilators are the people who spend the most time with the works,” Kausalainen says.
For the Kiasma exhibition, Kausalainen created a set of objects that the exhibition invigilators can activate at any time they see fit. The Feels Like Home exhibition opened at Kiasma on 12 January 2024.
Kausalainen has also started working on the second part of the Tutkijat (Scientists) trilogy, entitled Margulis ja muta (Margulis and the mud). The performance will be implemented as a Nordic collaboration, and it will premiere in 2025. The collaboration with the Chicago-based team will continue, and the next part of the Carnival of the Animals series will probably be ready for audiences in autumn 2024.
Each year, the Culture Committee of the City of Espoo awards one Espoo-based professional artist with a one-year working grant.