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<\/p>\nA Finnish museum is launching an ambitious new model of artist support that goes far beyond the standard exhibition schedule to encompass financial, practical and institutional backing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to break with the cycles of announcing a year\u2019s programme, working with three-month shows and giving artists a symbolic fee of \u20ac10,000 when you know they\u2019re working their asses off practically full-time,\u201d says Krist Gruijthuijsen, the new director of Finland\u2019s largest art museum, Espoo Museum of Modern Art (Emma).<\/p>\n
The museum has committed to supporting four artists over the next several years\u2014P. Staff, Tarik Kiswanson, Jenna Sutela and Egl\u0117 Budvytyt\u0117\u2014in four distinct ways: acquiring their work throughout the period; financially supporting external production; providing a part-time stipend for a year to alleviate financial pressure; and covering health insurance for a year. Three of the artists, for instance, are showing at the Venice Biennale with support from Emma.<\/p>\n
The programme will culminate in mid-career survey exhibitions at the museum in 2029 and 2030, which it plans to tour with partner institutions. \u201cWith each of these artists there is a real commitment,\u201d Gruijthuijsen says. \u201cAnd we as a museum also have a real commitment to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Each of the four artists is already highly visible, but success today does not guarantee a viable career. Institutional and critical recognition bears little relation to financial reality. Museum and biennale shows are expensive to produce and pay poorly. The market has become increasingly conservative, largely sidestepping practices that do not centre painting. Globalisation of the art industry means artists are travelling more to make ends meet, presenting their work in different contexts but rarely given opportunities to take risks.<\/p>\n
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Krist Gruijthuijsen, director of the Espoo Museum of Modern Art, Finland<\/p>\n
\u00a9 Paula Virta\/EMMA \u2013 Espoo Museum of Modern Art<\/p>\n
The four selected artists, who each have a relationship to the Nordic-Baltic region, are also all approaching mid-career, which Gruijthuijsen calls \u201cthe most fascinating moment in an artist\u2019s life. It\u2019s a very complicated place, emotionally and artistically, to navigate.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is a stage when artists often need greater support, says Sutela, one of the four beneficiaries. \u201cThe mid-career moment is very underrepresented in terms of projects like this,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s also a difficult moment because it often coincides with a lot of life\u2014peak demand on your time, and through that, peak costs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reinventing the support system<\/p>\n
For Gruijthuijsen, the point is to rethink what a museum is for. \u201cIt\u2019s really very much about the support system to a person, not just to the artwork,\u201d he says. \u201cI want it to be something where the artist truly feels there is time and support to develop this major exhibition.\u201d<\/p>\n
The artist-centric programme is a response to widespread institutional timidity, Gruijthuijsen says. \u201cRadicality left the building long ago. Everything is done under the umbrella of survival mode,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pressure from boards and audiences is to have generic programming you see literally across the world \u2014 very safe, riskless programmes that bring in the numbers.\u201d Financial and political pressures have led to \u201cdull museums\u201d, Gruijthuijsen says. The programme is financed by the Saastamoinen Foundation, the city of Espoo and the state, and through the museum\u2019s own fundraising. Exhibitions will be partly financed by touring.<\/p>\n
For Sutela, who is representing Finland at the Venice Biennale, the programme\u2019s appeal lies in its offer of time and continuity. \u201cThe art world is quite fast-paced and there are very few moments for reflection,\u201d she says. \u201cTime is of the essence\u2014to be able to consider where the work has been and where it\u2019s going. That\u2019s what sounds really good about Emma\u2019s initiative: it\u2019s a long-term project.\u201d<\/p>\n