10 Oct 2014

The 15,000 euro AVEK prize to Annette Arlander

The AVEK prize granted by The Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture AVEK has been awarded to Annette Arlander. Allocated to media art, the prize worth 15,000 euros was given at AVEK's season opening. The prize was awarded for the eleventh time.

Annette Arlander's (b. 1956) influence on art has been long-standing and varied. Arlander's artistic activity has been significant for artists beyond artistic definitions. According to the jury, Annette Arlander is a person whose educational activities and research have been eye-opening and rewarding for everyone employed in the field of performance and recording.

Annette Arlander's subtle video art raises great questions about perception, understanding, and the image of reality. The artwork depicts a landscape along with its individual parts, with the inclusion of human beings as one of these. They force the viewer to face their expectations and the learned norms of the displaying and watching moving image, and slowly give them up in order to understand the works and see what they allow the viewer to perceive.

According to the jury, Annette Arlander's works form something akin to gates, through which we can see and understand the image of our reality differently. The artwork opens up an opportunity to step into an area which is with us, but has been cut out from being displayed.

The AVEK jury was formed by Artist Eija-Liisa Ahtila as chairperson, Musician and Composer Sanna Salmenkallio, Director of the Kunsthalle Helsinki Jan Förster and Media Artist and the Production Adviser for media art Elena Näsänen. The recipient of the prize was determined by the AVEK board of directors, based on a statement from the jury.

RECIPIENTS OF THE AVEK PRIZE 2004-2013
Media Artist Heidi Tikka (8th September, 2004)
Media Artist Hanna Haaslahti (6th September, 2005)
Media Artist Pekka Sassi (7th September, 2006)
Artist Adel Abidin (6th September, 2007)
Artist Pia Lindman (11th September, 2008)
Artist-curator Juha Huuskonen (10th September, 2009)
Artist Jani Ruscica (9th September, 2010)
Artists Lea and Pekka Kantonen (8th September, 2011)
Artists Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen (6th September, 2012)
Media Artist Erkka Nissinen (5th September, 2013)

Additional information
AVEK's Secretary General Juha Samola, +358 (0) 9 4315 2351, juha.samola(a)avek.kopiosto.fi
Annette Arlander, tel. +358 (0) 40 5320 676, annette.arlander(a)uniarts.fi, www.annettearlander.com

The Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture AVEK, operating within the copyright organization Kopiosto, uses copyright remuneration to promote audiovisual culture. The majority of the funds originate from private copying levies, e.g. from DVDs and digital video recorders. AVEK funds the cultural exportation and development of different kinds of film genres, the advanced training and further education of the employees and organisations in the audiovisual industry, in addition to festivals and events. AVEK also supports the production of short films and documentaries, animations, and media art.

AVEK funds the development of cultural content and cultural entrepreneurship through the Ministry of Education and Culture's DigiDemo and CreaDemo grants.