Destined for Creativity – ITE and friends
23 October 2020–7 March 2021
Finnish contemporary folk art phenomenon ITE, from the Finnish itse tehty elämä or self-made life, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, Finnish ITE artists will be joined on a jubilee tour by their friends from the fields of outsider and contemporary art. For the often self-taught ITE artists, art is a vocation, a way of life. Creativity, open-mindedness, playfulness, inventiveness and traditional craft skills are at the core of the ITE phenomenon.
This 20th anniversary exhibition journeys towards the origins of ITE and its close European companion, outsider art, inviting visitors to explore how individual works and stories come together to form a wider, shared narrative. Along the way, visitors can also expect to see outsider art-inspired contemporary works by artists from Iceland, Finland and the United Kingdom.
Featured artists
Ann-Mari Erichsen (Bergen, Norway), Aradne (Brighton, UK), Janko Domsic (Croatia, Paris), Tyyne Esko (Kokkola, Finland), Veli Granö (Porvoo, Finland), Viljo Gustafsson (Karkkila, Finland), Paulus de Groot (Rotterdam, Netherlands), Tuula Huusko (Kajaani, Finland), Mike Inglis (Edinburgh, Scotland), Rósa Sigrún Jónsdóttir (Reykjavik, Iceland), Jan Kaila (Helsinki, Finland), Martti Kapanen (Jyväskylä, Finland), Alpo Koivumäki (Kauhajoki, Finland), Tapani Kokko (Orimattila, Finland), Juri Kozlov (St Petersbug, Russia), Arto Liiti (Rovaniemi, Finland), Viljo Luokkanen (Pudasjärvi, Finland), Daniel Moser (Neuenburg/Baden, Germany), Lauri Mäkäräinen (Paltamo, Finland), Väinö Oja (Paimio, Finland), Hannu Paju (Seinäjoki, Finland), Timo Peltonen (Korpilahti, Finland), Juha Pesonen (Tampere, Finland), Jyri Rastas (Tampere, Finland), Ilmari Salminen (Petäjävesi, Finland), Kaarina Staudinger-Loppukaarre (Savonlinna, Finland), Jukka Säntti (Sodankylä, Finland), Ensio Tuppurainen (Vekaranjärvi, Finland), Hanna Viitala (Pori, Finland), Väinö Ylén (Kodisjoki, Finland) and documentary photographers Jaakko Heikkilä, Martti Kapanen, Arto Liiti, Hannu Paju ja Erik Uddström.
The exhibition is a collaboration between K.H. Renlund Museum, Hämeenlinna Art Museum and Oulu Museum of Art, and it is jointly curated by art researcher Minna Haveri, producer Liisa Heikkilä-Palo and ITE curator Elina Vuorimies.
