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A panel discussion in connection of Morten Traavik’s Miss Landmine Angola 2008 exhibition at the Kiasma Auditorium.
Through the ages, artists have wanted to fight the evils of society through their work. Either concretely or under the surface, numerous art pieces and projects across the world have tackled various problems of contemporary society. Can artists make a difference through their work?
Norwegian director and actor Morten Traavik created his art project Miss Landmine in Angola with European and local funding. First the project raised questions about the old juxtaposition of imperialist and colonial countries and the dynamics of exploitation. As the project progressed, the questions started reaching below the surface, questioning the use of landmines and universal ideals of beauty. Finally, the Angolans felt they owned the project, and Miss Landmine, who was crowned in early April 2008, became very popular in her home country.
In Finland, artist and art theoretician Ulla Karttunen has attacked the global problem of child pornography. Her art piece “Virgin Whore Church” led to an extremely rare case of art censorship: the piece was confiscated by the Finnish police. The media controversy over Karttunen’s work directed the public attention away from the social critique the piece embodied.
An artist can also use their public image to promote a good cause. Many celebrities of the arts world and popular culture serve as the face of a campaign, or organize projects to help fight global problems, such as global warming or famine.
This is the topic for the discussion between the artists Morten Traavik and Ulla Karttunen and Unicef’s campaign leader Veera Videnuis.
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