27.3.–27.4.2014, HPB14: Ecological Fallacy

Photographic Gallery Hippolyte

PHOTOGRAPHIC GALLERY HIPPOLYTE
Yrjönkatu 8–10 (courtyard), 00120 Helsinki, Finland, +358 9 612 33 44, www.hippolyte.fi
Open: Tue–Fri 12–17, Sat–Sun 12–16

27.3.–27.4.2014
Helsinki Photography Biennial 2014
Ecological Fallacy:
Braco Dimitrijević, Daniel G. Andújar, Oliver Ressler, Tomislav Gotovac

Helsinki Photography Biennial is a series of events focusing on photo/lens-based contemporary art, organized every two years in spring. HPB14 is produced by the Union of Artist Photographers / Photographic Gallery Hippolyte in collaboration with The Finnish Museum of Photography.

In 2014, the biennial aims to examine causal relations regarding ecological issues. The curatorial framework of HPB14 has been developed by Istanbul-based curator Başak Şenova, Finnish Mustarinda Association, and Zagreb-based curator Branko Franceschi.


Ecological Fallacy at Photographic Gallery Hippolyte

‘Ecological fallacy’ is a statistical term that is defined simply as an error in reasoning and as a title refers to an error or a mistaken assumption in the interpretation of statistical data. Başak Şenova’s curatorial framework addresses fallacies of ecological knowledge and fosters collaborative connections between ecological data and photography-based archives.

As a part of Ecological Fallacy Basak Senova and Branko Franceschi have co-curated an exhibition for Photographic Gallery Hippolyte, focusing on cultural and ideological critique. The artists presented at Hippolyte are Braco Dimitrijević (1948, Sarajevo), Daniel G. Andújar (Almoradí, 1966), Oliver Ressler (1970, Knittelfeld), Tomislav Gotovac(1937, Sombor–2010, Zagreb).

Braco Dimitrijević’s series Culturescapes features installations from 1980’s and 90’s. In his photographs and video piece wild animals confront artifacts and works of art, thus joining together two cultural models: the Western one and the one present in other cultures that live in greater harmony with nature. Oliver Ressler’s video Leave It in the Ground describes the climate crisis not as a technical and scientific problem, but as a political one. Daniel G. Andújar’s Timeline is a piece that belongs to Postcapital Archive. 1989–2001 (2008), a multimedia project that comprises over 250,000 documents compiled from the internet. The motifs of the montages are based on ads for commercial businesses and humanitarian organizations. Tomislav Gotovac was one of the most important performance artists, authors of structural and experimental film, and conceptual artists of Eastern Europe. The photographs gathered for Hippolyte are taken from several of his cult performances.

In addition to the inside of the gallery space, the biennial utilizes the poster cases situated in the gateway leading to the courtyard of Yrjönkatu 8-10, Helsinki. The new gateway gallery, Hippolyte Corridor, shows a part of  Barbaros Kayan’s (Istanbul) series Occupy Taksim, which documents the Gezi Park resistance movement that took place in Istanbul in the spring of 2013. Kayan’s series will be seen in public space around the city also at Helsinki Central railway station, on the façade of the The Finnish Museum of Photography building and Restaurant Hima & Sali at the Cable Factory.

Dimitrijevic_Memories_of_Childhood(Braco Dimitrijevic, Memories of Childhood, 1983)

Ecological Fallacy exhibitions feature 19 projects from artists around the globe. In order to investigate fallacies of ecological knowledge, the featured exhibitions seek correlated artistic approaches and perspectives as a way of producing and processing evident critical, social and cultural discourses on these fallacies.

HPB14 venues include The Finnish Museum of Photography, Photographic Gallery Hippolyte, L3-warehouse in Jätkäsaari, Galleria U (Hungarian Cultural and Scientific Centre in Helsinki) and Helsinki University Main Library (Kaisa House).

The biennial coincides with the release of the book Ecological Fallacy / Objects on Oil as part of the Mustarinda publication series. The essays seek to deepen the theme of the biennial. The biennial includes also a seminar. Held at the Cable Factory on 29 March 2014, the seminar features professionals of art and science who tackle questions around the theme of the biennial.

More information about HPB14: www.hpb.fi


HPB14 is generously supported by: Alfred Kordelin Foundation, British Council, Embassy of Denmark, Embassy of Sweden, Finnish Cultural Foundation, Frame Visual Art Finland, Ministry of Education and Culture, SAHA, Istanbul & The Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland.