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March 23, 2010

CMR & Tarot Tour - five museums in one year.

CMR started in February 2009 from the Museum of Contemporary Art, Kiasma in Helsinki. The last exhibition in Finland was at Kuntsi Museum of Modern Art in Vaasa in 2010. I suppose this is the most intensive museum tour of my life.
I have got imposing amount of feedback from the audience (well over 60 000 visitors). Thank you so much!
Special thanks to all the professionals we have worked with. I really enjoy to work with technicians!

Henry starts the work by painting walls with burgundy red at Kuntsi Museum of Modern Art. Photo: Hemmo Hytönen

I got the idea for a tour especially in Finland when I was in St. Petersburg with Tero Saarinen Company in 2006 for St. Petersburg 300th anniversary party. Our Minister of Cultural Affairs arrived to give a speech before our performance. The minister was a tall, charming young blonde (former Miss Finland - and constantly in the teeth of press). She arrived to the stage of Alexander Theatre followed by Russian interpreter who happened to be a very old and very tiny nun. What an unforgettable duetto.

After the performance the minister arrived to the back stage. She seemed to be very touched by the performance. She spoke Finnish with Tero but when I arrived she hesitated a moment and switched into English. I answered in Finnish, actually Ostrobothnian dialect - with a big smile. I had a good reason for that since previous day she has signed a five-years state artist grant to me and Tero. She was very sorry because she did not know if I speak Finnish or...well, I don´t look like a Finnish person, I know. Then I decided to have a proper tour in my dear home country (and get back my Finnish identity). That night we had a great party with he minister and later on she kindly opened the Tarot exhibition in Amos Anderson Art Museum in Helsinki...
But let´s go back from Russian memoirs to Kuntsi opening in 2010!

After the opening even the staff has time to read the holy books.
Photo: Harry Wester

In March 2010 the tour is over. During one year I exhibited in five Finnish museums and now everybody seem to speak Finnish to me. The last stop was not least but the most sophisticated and charming: city of Vaasa and Kuntsi Museum of Modern Art. I have never exhibited or performed this close to Perho (Butterfly) the place I was born 50 years ago. Suddenly in the opening I saw lots of people who seem to have similar genes with me! That was touching and peculiar.

Tuomari Nurmio, Anne-Maj Salin and Marita in opening night at Kuntsi.
Photo: Hemmo Hytönen

The spirit of Kuntsi Museum is unusual in Finland. The 3-years old museum is impeccably stylish, everything is high quality from the art collection to the restaurant. There is also certain playfulness and joy of work and being together in the air. Behind the welcoming spirit we found the director herself: Anne-Maj Salin. She is truly the queen of the house. The opening night was packed and Tuomari Nurmio played for the house full of different kind of folks from mayor of the city to young arty students.

Tuomari gives Marita “One more lesson” (This masterpiece of Finnish rock lyric was written on the wall in the CMR exhibition)

The Kunsti exhibition combined Choosing My Religion downstairs and Tarot upstairs. The former customs house shared the human scale of my works. Installation was perfect. After the opening we decided to start collaboration in order to distribute the exhibition. First step will be in Norway and other Nordic countries in 2011.

A couple reading their personal card text in Tarot exhibition. “Are you really a Lover!!” Yaa, watch out dear: you seem to be the Devil herself!”

Posted by marita at 10:13 PM