Hippolyte Studio
14.9.–7.10.2012
MINNA L. HENRIKSSON & FATMIR MUSTAFA-CARLO
Why Don’t You Speak Finnish?
The exhibition deals with racism in Finland. In Henriksson’s pictures this this is translated into spatial analysis and juxtaposition, in Fatmir Mustafa-Carlo’s video it is a personal experience. In both cases racism has been practiced by the police in Finland.
Why Don’t You Speak Finnish? is the name of the exhibition, as well as Fatmir Mustafa-Carlo’s video work, which is a story of a racist attack that he was subjected to in Oulunkylä (Helsinki). In the sequence of events, Mustafa-Carlo was first subjected to the racism of the restaurant and its guests, and then the police that had been called there. Minna L. Henrikssons photographic series Kommunikaatio juxtaposes visitor statistics from the Immigration Police in Malmi (Helsinki) with the spatial solutions there and table tops with scribbled texts by those applying for residencepermits.
Fatmir Mustafa-Carlo (b. 1984 Skopje) is an artist from Kosovo. He studied in the Art Academy of Prishtina and lives in Helsinki since 2010. His practice articulates itself through social actions, in the form of photography, video, sculptures, and installations. Place is central to his work, as he seeks to penetrate and challenge the roles, borders, myths, and habits that belong to particular sites.
Minna L. Henriksson (b. 1976 Oulu) is a visual artist currently based in Helsinki. She studied art in Brighton, Helsinki and Malmö. She has mainly been working with installation, text and photography. Her work is aiming at shedding light on hidden mechanisms of power. Most recently in her individual work as well as in collaborative projects she is exploring the concept of multiculturalism, and problem of nationalism and racism, especially in Finland and the Nordic countries.
A part of Henriksson’s photographs have been taken by Matti Kurkela. Thank you to the Uusimaa Arts Council for supporting the photographic series.
