TAMK Art Students in the Generation 2017 Exhibition at the Prestige Amos Anderson Art Museum

14.8.2017

The exhibition was situated in the heart of Helsinki providing a good location for people to come and see the works of these talented people. Out of over 400 applicants only 42 were chosen to be exhibited in these premises and out of these five were either present or former students of TAMK.

This chance is directed at artists from age 15 to 23 who wish to present their art in any form and way with their chosen message. The works were chosen by curator Laura Köönikkä and they could be done individually or as a group. They had the chance to send a suggestion project or piece of work to be evaluated and later they were contacted if the work piqued interest. The idea was to find new ways to experience and create art. It was the last main exhibition to be displayed in the old Amos Anderson Art Museum. The exhibition is held every three years and the next one will be on display on 2020 in the new Amos Rex venue in Helsinki’s Lasipalatsi.

“It is nice that there is a chance for the young artists to have their works displayed.”

A Fine Art teacher Sari Tervaniemi had posted the application link for the exhibition to the TAMK Media Facebook group. In TAMK the teachers are active in offering and informing the students about possible projects and chances that they notice. The teachers and students actively use social media amongst other communication methods to distribute information. Also the students share their knowledge on different possibilities and talk about what is happening.

Tarina Tommiska’s works from a photography project called Boys & Flowers that explores gender roles, femininity and masculinity and how they are shown.

Visiting the exhibition I could see how differently young people express themselves. No matter whether they use a pen, a camera, a computer or even a screwdriver or a knife, the talent these young artists showcased was undeniable. There were photographs, graffiti art, videos, handicrafts and metal or wood works featuring a large variety of themes and messages. A lot of the works were bold portraying a large variety of different subjects and were very thought provoking.

Sebastian Schulz piece Time is Up that is a tribute to Finnish graffiti artists and street painters that suffered from Stop Töhryille movement in the 90s.

On Generation 2017 instagram account you can find out more about the artists. They have posted their artist statements with their pictures on the account. The TAMK students that had their works displayed in the exhibition were Inka Jerkku with a mysterious food installation and Sebastian Schulz with a massive 5 meters tall wall painting and as alumni from TAMK Tarina Tommiska with portraits of her friends and Sanni Weckman with large woven portraits of her grandparents. Also Jade Vesto, who has studied at TAMK in Fine Art but later changed schools, had there an existential video artwork .

https://www.instagram.com/generation2017exhibition/

Finland brings many amazing possibilities for young artists to express themselves. TAMK is one of the well known universities of applied sciences that offers education within the artistic field and helps its students in many ways on their way. The connections and skills you gain in this university will definitely help you on your way to the top.

Written by Tiia Rintakoski