Ateljé Stundars

NEWS: Guest Artists for 2024 invited!

  • January–April 2024: Tianyu CHEN (China / The Netherlands)
  • May–August 2024: Takatoku NISHI & Yumeo NAKAYAMA (Japan)
  • September–December 2024: Xiayi SU (China / United Kingdom)

Ateljé Stundars – Who are We?

Ateljé Stundars, an international art residency founded in 1998, is a member of Res Artis: Worldwide Network of Arts Residencies and FAIRE, the Finnish Artist Residency Network.

Ateljé Stundars is run by KulturÖsterbotten, a division of the SÖFUK Federation of Swedish Municipalities in Ostrobothnia for Education and Culture (Svenska Österbottens förbund för utbildning och kultur, SÖFUK). SÖFUK, a joint municipal organization with fourteen member municipalities, is also in charge of the vocational education (Yrkesakademin i Österbotten) and the regional theatre (Wasa Teater) in Swedish-speaking Ostrobothnia.

Ateljé Stundars operates in conjunction and close co-operation with an open-air museum and centre of culture and art, the Stundars Museum, in the village of Solf in Korsholm, Finland.

For 2023, we have invited three Guest Artists to live and work at our residence for a period of four months each.

What Do We Offer?

We offer our artists a peaceful rural environment with an excellent chance to concentrate on creative work. As of 2022, we invite three artists to live and work at our residence for a period of four (4) months each. There is only one artist staying with us at a time.

Our location and the facilites we offer are excellent for visual artists, painters, photographers and other artists who seek a peaceful place to concentrate on their work. Many of our artists have found great inspiration in the Stundars environment and in the surrounding nature.

We provide our artists with a studio and an apartment, both rent-free. The studio, right in the heart of the Stundars Museum area, is an excellent place to work for instance for a visual artist. The two-bedroom apartment just a stone's throw away from the studio is fully furnished and equipped. 

A residency at Ateljé Stundars is free of charge. Our artists are paid a grant of 11 Euros a day to cover expenses for artist's supplies and materials.

Artists participating in 2023

January–April: Holikova, Lenka (Czech Republic / Mexico)

WORK PLAN:
FRONTIERS: METHODS OF ESCAPE/ CONSTRUCTION OF MIGRANT DIVING COURSE NO. 02.
The "fugitive" citizens who sought to escape the totalitarian regime devised and manufactured, creatively and peculiarly, various artifacts, which in theory would allow them to cross the "highly guarded" border. These artifacts did not always meet the necessary physical and mechanical characteristics because in most cases "scientific" calculations failed. These "amateur inventors" used for their purposes various recycled materials manufactured or adapted by themselves; inspiration also peculiar, came from books, newspapers, and even pictorial atlases.

Various testimonies narrate the daring gadgets people used to circumvent the borders, making for example machines that moved through the heights hung on the high voltage wires from which they took energy to power their movement; hot-air balloons were also built to cross through the air. Other people just as daring, made their own wings to fly or diving suits to cross through the
water. This project reviews these past events to reconstruct them in the light of the present.

The perception of time in the present epoch is strongly influenced by the constant development of advanced capitalism and by technology, one of its basic tools. Technology shortens time, consumes it, and accelerates the pace of our attention. In hyper-acceleration, capitalism constantly "shoots" "new" products and downplays the old.

The same logic of the "latest" as the only valuable thing applies to any other area of contemporary life. Also, the problems that torment our societies are often seen as unprecedented events, simple chapters within linear history. In this light, any artistic review of a specific point in the past may seem "irrelevant" and "outside the current approach". I deny such a point of view and consider it limited and shallow, as it leaves behind several essential aspects for
historical and artistic understanding.

CONSTRUCTION OF MIGRANT DIVING SUIT NO. 02. consists of two parts:
a) File configuration and b) Construction; the two parties plan to develop during the residence.

Configuration of the file consisting of:
I. A historical investigation
II. A documentation consisting of:
II. I. Series of drawings on historical documents. This series is inspired by the way in which the artifacts were built and used.
II. II. Photographs and documentary photocopies.
II. III. Audiovisual records.
II. IV. Sketches and technical drawings that try to reconstruct the apparatus from
the narrated stories and the documentation.
II. V. Model of the device at scale.

The original diving suit was used by Josef Skopl, a Catholic priest, who wanted to leave ancient Czechoslovakia by crossing the bottom of the Labe River. Josef built his own diving suit: he sewed his jacket and pants of waterproof fabric and connected them with bicycle tires; he made the helmet from an aluminum pot. So that he could breathe, he used two hoses, one for the air to enter and another for it to come out; at the end of a hose, he placed a float, so that it did not sink.

Apart from functioning as an independent work, the archive serves as a preparatory phase for constructing the 1:1 scale diving suit.

RESULTING PRODUCT:
• Intervention in specific sites and photographs of the registry.
• Five photographs, size A3+, museum print quality.
• If exhibition space is available, I would like to organize a show and a talk.

https://es.lenkaholikova.com

May–August: Hamester, Tanja (Germany)

Work plan:
I propose a strategy that creates a personal archaeology of the places I encounter. I carry out an investigation of the public space, a set of tactics designed to avoid falling into the stereotypical representation of a place.

Create and collect site specific objects referring to the area (Solf Gesture Objects)
The Gesture Objects (GO) are an artistic strategy to explore a place physically and psychologically. They are inspired by investigating on an area but also by reading, discussions or interpersonal encounters. They reproduce social conditions, specific situations, but also abstract constructs. These performance objects will mainly consist of salt dough, natural latex (both biodegradable) and found material. The display for the GO is meant to be wearable, so the objects can be used performatively. I want to find a local dressmaker/designer for a collaboration to create a display that responds to local fabric traditions (transdisciplinary collaboration) and organizes the GO in the exhibition space.

With gesture-performances I animate the GO and record the touch of the performance with contact microphones. I create a sonoric archive of the performed sculptures, of the trace of my touch. Born in the process of discovering a territory, the GO constitute an archive of the implicated passage of the artist body through it. The former GO were imprinted on a mass of salt dough. The project I am proposing is a further development of this strategy into the digital sphere. Using, performing and “imprinting” different GO leads to a performative narrative which is then present in the recording. It would be great to get in contact with a local sound engineer / musician and have a live performance together.

The imprint as a gesture, leaving traces – a anticolonialistic strategy of narration against the idea of the genius („Anti Goethe“)
An imprint is a repetition of an already existing form. (Didi-Huberman) While animating the sculptures performatively, the contact microphones will record the touch and use of the objects: the sonoric imprint of the performance. This way the performative narrative becomes a sound piece.

The Empowerment Archive (social and performative practice: public workshop, fanzine)
The salt dough is prepared in a workshop-like collective ritual called MASSA, a re-enactment of a social practice that has been taken up from the past. It results in a record of stories and a mini fanzine that will tie in with the Empowerment Archive - a participative project that I started in southern Italy and that is now being moved to the north. Will there be different stories, different needs to tell? Does the change of location have an effect on the stories?

Salt dough comes as a metaphor for unpaid reproductive and care work, but also in the image of doing reproductive labor together. It becomes an opportunity to meet, confront and empower. While kneading, participants are asked to form an imprint of their fist while sharing a moment of empowerment: situations in which they felt discriminated against, suppressed or left alone, and then trying to free themselves from what has been written by society and history. The fist imprint becomes a portrait that symbolizes the empowerment situation.

We create a local narrative that is personal but also collective, as it takes into account all the micronarratives and inputs received by locals. The need is to interact with the inhabitants of a place in order to speak about it.

www.tanjahamester.com

September–December: Araujo, Margot (France)

Work plan:
The idea is to capture the difference in light during the course of the season on one print. The use of the Polaroid Lab my project will enable me to create one frame out of several polaroid shots.

I am planning on using all aspect of black and white both in photography and etching printing thus playing on different light intensity:
• Natural light
• Subdued light
• Artificial light

Goals:
• On A5 print of Polaroid emulsion lift/etching print: at the end of the residency
• An artist book: leporello: to summarize all four months

September–October–November–December will be organized as followed:

PHASE 1: Research/Gathering materials – 10 first days
• Exploration: Choice of viewpoint for the A5 print
• Sketching: Beginning of the Leporello
• Photography

PHASE 2: Printing of the A5 print (etching-one session needed) – By mid-October
• Etching with a dry point
• Test prints: to be added in the Leporello
• Final print

PHASE 3: Emulsion lift sessions (Photography) – Every two days from mid-September
to mid-December
• Setting of the Polaroid Lab
• Transfert of the photography on Polaroid
• Polaroid Emulsion lift transferred on test prints to adjust the settings
• Polaroid Emulsion lift transferred on the final A5 etching print

→ As the process requires the perfect setting and cannot be reproduce identically once started, the leporello and the print tests will be used as crash test copies.

https://togram3.myportfolio.com

Artists participating in 2024

January–April: Tianyu CHEN (China / The Netherlands)

WORK PLAN:
I am an artist who has adapted to a wide range of art forms, including traditional paintings and installations. Additionally, I work as a scientific illustrator, creating illustrations for medical or biological purposes.

The project I am planning centers around my signature installation artworks, which revolve around two main themes: "Bad Carbs" and "Shit Cookies." These installations are created using either edible materials such as real food or nondegradable materials like plastic and resins. A consistent color scheme, often in pink or rose tones, unifies the visual aesthetic. The size of the artworks is adaptable, making them suitable for various exhibition settings.

The primary objective of the project is to foster audience participation and interaction with the installations. This not only reflects my perspective on highly processed food but also encourages visitors to reflect on their relationship with processed food and its environmental impact.

Web site: www.instagram.com/tianyuchenarts

May–August: Takatoku NISHI & Yumeo NAKAYAMA (Japan)

Work plan:
The project is planned by the duo OSOTO lab. I and my partner would like to stay in Finland from May-August. Let us take full advantage of the four months and discover Finland's first-hand beauty and interest. We want to experience the unique characteristics of this time of year, when the weather is changing dramatically towards a brighter, warmer summer, in Ateljé Stundars. We would also like to sublimate our findings into a work of art.

During our stay we would like to do research in different parts of Finland. In particular, we would like to visit nearby Vaasa, Seinäjoki, and Kvarken Archipelago. Instead of staying in one place and investigating, comparisons can be made with several places to determine whether the feature is specific to Finland itself or to the region. In Solf, we want to experience the vastness of Meteoria Söderfjärden by day, time and weather. We also want to do research on the information we get from the area and the places we explore and discover.

Our research methodology involves the use of instruments such as anemometers, illuminometers and hygrometers to record. and Reference to weather data such as weather maps and sun angles. We also incorporate materials and traditions from the history of the place. By comparing these data with the flora, fauna and natural environment that we have experienced, seen and heard about, we can develop some patterns of characteristics.

While compiling these investigations, we would like to start creating artwork based on the elements we have discovered. The final work is undecided at the moment. It leaves us with various possibilities for expression. As our concept consists of communicating with a place, we consider the plans we have planned for the work in Japan to be meaningless. We will express the charm of the place and the time we find by experiencing it first-hand in installations and spatial works. We would then like to share this with others. Maybe it will be an opportunity to get people interested in the natural environment and animals in Japan.

Characteristics of each of the two OSOTO lab. members. Yumeo is cheerful and has a talent for getting on with everyone. Takatoku is calm, quiet and strong, and can get the job done. The two share experiences and continue to conceive and think about processes that lead to artworks because they are from our point of view. We hope that our days at Ateljé Stundars will be an evolution of our own.

Web site: www.takatokunishi.com/and-yumeonakayama-osotolab

September–December: Xiayi SU (China / United Kingdom)

Work plan:

Project Title: Echo

Statement:
Nature Mysticism has always been at the core of my research and practice, of which my focus is exploring the spiritual transcendence through nature and the inner consistency with universe. My practice is usually anchored in personal spiritual exploration, reaching out to establish a profound bond with the universal experiences of life. My nature-related research and artistic practice often involve the intersection of philosophy, religion, and science, and to probe our existence and relationship to the universe.

The aim of the project is to travel to places and use the local nature as my object of photography. When confronting with a fossil, when reading a mythological story, when walking on a mountain that remains unchanged in the millennia of wind, when ancient astrological prophecies from different cultures point to the same answer, I hear echoes from my soul, like images that remain in front of my eyes after waking from a dream. Echo is a compass, took me on the journey of a metaphysical quest in search of the enigma and unknown.

Drawing from my Chinese background, my artistic expression embraces a poetic and subtle aesthetic that echoes Eastern Asian traditions. Nevertheless, I am concerned with expressing shared human beliefs and messages that resonate across cultures. Besides, cultural hybridity and translatability and Psychogeography are also included in my work.

Method:
35 mm camera (SLR) + Black and white film
Film develop experiment
Silver print / Liquid emulsion print / lumen print + digital print

Note: The project will explore photography as a medium that sits closest to the artistic side of its spectrum. Therefore, abstraction and materiality of photography will be my focuses. And the dialogue between digital images and darkroom photography will also involving.

Result Product:
10–20 photography + exhibition (if available)
A handmade photobook

Web site: www.suxiayi.com

What Do We Expect?

We expect our artists to join us with a solid work plan and a strong motivation to fulfill it. We strongly encourage all our artists also to engage in out-reaching activities and arrange artists talks, work shops, open studio events, exhibitions et cetera, both for the artist community in the region and for the general public. We expect all our Guest Artists to deliver at least one (1) Artist Talk (digital), either to fellow artists and/or art students or to the general public, during their time at our residence.

We expect our artists to pay all their travel expenses to and from our residence as well as their living expenses while staying with us – the grant of 11 Euros a day is for artist's supplies and materials only. We also expect our artists to have sufficient health insurance


Where Can You Find Us?

Ateljé Stundars is located in the village of Solf (in Finnish: Sulva) in Korsholm (in Finnish: Mustasaari), Ostrobothnia on the west coast of Finland.

The street address of the residence is Stundarsvägen 5, FIN-65450 Solf, Finland.

Coordinates (Google Maps): 63.014666586826024, 21.644184369817264

Who Can Apply?
Any professional artist is welcome to apply for residency with us. Please bear in mind that our location and the facilites we offer are best suited for visual artists, painters, photographers and other artists who seek a peaceful place to concentrate on their work.
How Can You Apply?

An application to participate in the residency program at Ateljé Stundars is made on our Web Application Form (accessible on this page during the application period).

Application deadline: May 31st, for participation in our program the following year.

Selection Process

All applications for participation in the Residency Program, received within the period of application, are put before the jurors of Ateljé Stundars. The jurors carefully study each application, especially the work plan and the work samples submitted by the applicants. The jurors also evaluate the artistic merits of each applicant. One of the most important questions the jurors have to consider is how successfully a certain work plan could be put into practice within the actual context of Ateljé Stundars.

Once the jurors have reached their decision, all applicants are contacted through email.

The jurors:

  • Mr. Robert Back, Senior Lecturer, Novia University of Applied Sciences
  • Ms. Johanna Halme, Art Educator, Pro Artibus Foundation
  • Mr. Jimmy Pulli, Contemporary Artist, Vaasa
  • Ms. Gunilla Sand, Museum Manager, Stundars Museum
  • Mr. Peter Båsk, Senior Museum Advisor, Stundars Museum
  • Ms. Åsa Blomstedt, Cultural Manager, KulturÖsterbotten / Svenska Österbottens förbund för utbildning och kultur (SÖFUK)

Questions?

We are happy to answer any questions you may have about our residence. Please e-mail us at Den här e-postadressen skyddas mot spambots. Du måste tillåta JavaScript för att se den.!

Previous Guest Artists

2022
Matilda Enegren (Finland)
Damla Tamer (Turkey / Canada)
Kirsimaria Törönen (Finland)

2021
Anisia Affek (Israel / Germany / Ukraine)
Ursula Sepponen (Finland / Sweden)
Diana Baumbach (USA)

2020
Jolene Mok (Hong Kong / UK)
Susanne Schär & Peter Spillman (Switzerland)
Andrea Coyotzi Borja (Mexico / Finland)

2019
Allison Roberts (USA)
Atefeh Majidi-Nezhad (Iran)
Jan Lütjohann (Germany)
Amanda Hellryd (Sweden)

2018
Hiram Wong (Australia / Hong Kong)
Minh Duc Pham (Vietnam / Germany)
Katrin Hotz & Jerome Lanon (Switzerland & France)
Susana Wessling (Portugal / UK)

2017
Hazel Barstow (UK / Norway)
Jo Ann Kronquist (Canada)
Juliana Irene Smith (USA / South Africa)
Behrad Hassanati (Iran)

2016
Shahrzad Malekian (Iran)
Cecilia Hultman (Sweden)
Barbara Tong (Hong Kong / UK)
Nicola Williams (UK)
Francesco Dipierro (Italy)

2015
Jane Hughes (Ireland)
Gloria Luca & Tudor Patrascu (Romania)
Anna Roberta Vattes (Germany)

2014
Anthea Bush (UK, Netherlands)
Bas Ketelaars (Netherlands)
Mariann Oppliger & Res Thierstein (Switzerland)
Johanna Kintner & Nora Mertes (Germany)
Heong uk Choi (Korea)

2013
Peter Luha & Lucia Cernekova (Czech Republic)
Soo Sunny Park (Korea, USA)
Christa Joo Hyun D'Angelo (Korea, USA, Germany)
Jochen Schneider (Germany)

2012
Rosalie Schweiker (Germany / UK)
Hanna Saks (UK)
Antje Pehle (Germany)
Sonja Hinrichsen (Germany / USA)

2011
Lisbeth Grägg (Sweden)
Anneli Holmstrom (Scotland)
Melania-Elisabeta Hangan (Romania)
Bas Ketelaars (Netherlands)
Anneli Holmstrom (Scotland)

2010
Andreanne Fournier (Canada) 
Sophie Dvorák (Austria / Argentine)
Seungchee Kang (Korea)
Mathieu Leger (Canada) 

2009 
Michal Moskop (Germany / Israel)
Pamela Schilderman (Netherlands / UK)
James Kuehnle (USA)
Morgan Craig (USA) 
Kyösti Linna (Finland)

2008
Eva Spikbacka (Sweden / Finland)
Hideki Kanno  (Japan)
Maja Rohwetter (Germany)
Karin Kamijo (Japan)

2007
Britt Kootstra (Netherlands / Saudi Arabia)
Hanni Stolker (Netherlands)
Takashi Mitsui (Germany / Japan)
Eva Spikbacka (Sweden / Finland)

2006
Yoko Iida (USA / Japan)
Maria Petschatnikov (Germany / Russia)
Natalia Petschatnikov (Germany / Russia)
Markus Shimizu (Germany / Japan)
Dragos Alexandrescu (Romania)
Carla Cruz (Portugal)

2005
Samuel Nigro (USA)
Takehiro Mizumoto (Japan)
Sofia Bilius (Finland / Sweden)    
Marina Kronqvist (Finland)
Karin Laaja (Sweden / Finland)  
Britt-Lis Lindqvist (Sweden) 
Catherine Davies (Wales)
Helen Malia (Wales)
Jeroen van de Ven (Netherlands)

2004
Sven Eggers (Germany)
Bente Lise Jakobsen (Norway)
Marianne Høyland (Norway)
Ronan Caulfield (UK)
Sally Timmons (Ireland)
Christer Carlstedt (Sweden)
Sigita Blaziunaite (Lithuania)
Samuel Nigro (USA)

2003
Bojana Romic  (Yugoslavia)
Annukka Laine (Finland)
Tatsuo Hoshika (Finland / Japan)
Sari Carel (USA / Israel)
Ingela Sand (Sweden)
Sven Eggers (Germany)

2002
Janika Herlevi (Finland)
Anna Rossow (Finland) 
Tomas Kulistak (Czech Republic)
Annukka Laine (Finland)
Tatsuo Hoshika (Finland / Japan)
Haruka Furusaka (Japan)
Eva Kobylarczyk (Poland)

2001
Asta Rakauskaite (Lithuania)
Renate Wincken (Netherlands)
Carme Bosch (Spain)
Dolores Bosch (Spain)
Teresa Nogues (Spain)
Janika Herlevi (Finland)

2000
Maxine Adcock (UK)
Merja Ylitalo (Finland)
Panu Thusberg (Finland)
Hanne Ivars (Finland)
Mary Stechschulte (USA)
Asta Rakauskaite (Lithuania)

1999
Maxine Adcock (UK)

1998 
Ulrike Kuschel (Germany)

Studio

Studio

The Ateljé Stundars studio is housed right at the heart of the Stundars Museum area, in the attic of a beautiful traditional wooden house.

The studio has a large window facing north. On a bright summer day, the natural light coming through the window is quite sufficient, but most days artificial light is needed. The studio therefore has strong electrical light.

The 60 m² studio is equipped with tables and chairs and an easel. Basic artist's supplies and materials can be bought in Vasa, but we advise our artists to bring as much with them as possible, at least crucial supplies and material.

The studio shares the attic with the Stundars Museum Office. There is a door between the office and the studio.

The stairs leading up to the attic are quite steep. The studio is therefore not handicapped-friendly.

Even though winters in Finland may be bitterly cold with temperatures down to -20 degrees Centigrade, the studio offers a warm and dry place to work.

Apartment

The artist’s apartment is situated in a terrace house some 200 metres from the studio. It consists of two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom / toilet.

The apartment is quite spacious (75 m²) with big windows in the living room (and kitchen) facing south. Many of our artists have used the living room as a home studio. The windows in the two bedrooms face north. 

Archipelago

Surroundings

Ateljé Stundars, situated in the village of Solf (in Finnish: Sulva) in Korsholm (in Finnish: Mustasaari), Ostrobothnia on the west coast of Finland, offers artists a peaceful rural environment with good possibilities to concentrate on creative work. The village of Solf with its 1,700 inhabitants is a genuine, traditional Ostrobothnian village dominated by wooden house architecture.

The artist residence operates in conjunction with an open-air museum and centre of culture and art, the Stundars Museum. The Stundars area is quite busy, especially during the summer, with a lot of activity going on: crafts days, exhibitions, concerts, children’s events, time travel etc. There is also a small gift shop-cum-café in the area. 

Ateljé Stundars is surrounded by open plains with a rich bird life. Deep forests and a beautiful archipelago can be found within biking distance from the studio.

The 520 million-year-old meteorite crater of Söderfjärden lies within walking distance from the residence. Today the circle-shaped cultivated crater plain is one of the most interesting geological sites in Finland and a true paradise for bird watchers in both spring and autumn. From the bird-watching tower you can on a good day observe thousands and thousands of migrating cranes, swans and geese.

Meteoria, a visiting centre right in the middle of the crater, features an advanced exhibition of the entire history of Söderfjärden. There is also a well-equipped astronomical observatory with a telescope for studies of celestial bodies hundreds of millions of light years out into the universe.

The Region

The village of Solf is part of the municipality of Korsholm. With its 20,000 inhabitants Korsholm is the third largest municipality in the region of Ostrobothnia. The closest city is Vasa (in Finnish: Vaasa), some 17 kms north of Solf. Vasa with its 60,000 inhabitants has a rich cultural life and offers a number of interesting museums and galleries, for instance

In Jakobstad (in Finnish: Pietarsaari) some 100 kms north of Vasa, the Novia University of Applied Sciences offers a Master's programme in culture and art. Degree programmes in arts and culture is offered also by the YA – Vocational College of Ostrobothnia. Both operate at the Campus Allegro in the city centre.

There is also an artist residence in Jakobstad, AiR Jakobstad.

The Kvarken Archipelago is the only natural heritage on Unesco's World Heritage List in Finland. The area received the World Heritage status because it is the best place on earth to witness and observe the unique geological phenomenon of land uplift.

Bilingual Finland – Bilingual Ostrobothnia

Finland is a bilingual country with two national languages: Finnish and Swedish. The Swedish-speaking population is concentrated on the west and south coast of Finland as well as on the Åland Islands.

The region of Ostrobothnia with some 180,000 inhabitants is the only region on the mainland with a Swedish-speaking majority. Many people are bilingual and speak both Finnish and Swedish, but there are people, especially among the elderly, who are not able to communicate in the other national language. 

Most people in Finland speak English quite well.

KulturÖsterbottens logotyp med texten ger kulturen synlighet och möjlighet!

Kungsgårdsvägen 46 A, 65380 VASA, FINLAND

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KulturÖsterbotten är en del av
Svenska Österbottens förbund för utbildning och kultur

2018