Focus A-i-R 2014

FOCUS ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE

Focus A-i-R aims at furthering camera/lens-based art by building networks for artists and cultural producers in the countries of Finland, Norway and Sweden.

Focus A-i-R was initiated by CFF – Centre for Photography (Centrum för fotografi) Sweden, FFF – The Norwegian Association of Fine Art Photographers (Forbundet Frie Fotografer) Norway, and Photographic Gallery Hippolyte/Union of Artist Photographers (Finland) in 2011. Focus A-i-R builds on the bilateral residency exchange of CFF and Photographic Gallery Hippolyte/Union of Artist Photographers (2008-2010).

Focus A-i-R is supported by:
Nordic Culture Point (Kulturkontakt Nord), Arts Council Norway (Norsk Kulturråd), Nordic Culture Fund (Nordisk Kulturfond), The Swedish-Finnish Cultural Foundation, The Finnish-Norwegian Foundation.

AWARDED FOCUS A-i-R ARTISTS 2014 (April – May)

Jaanna Maijala (FI): Residency in Oslo
Jaana Maijala (b. 1984) graduated with a Masters of Arts from Aalto University School of Art, Design and Architecture (Helsinki) in 2013. She primarily works with photography and drawing, often combining the two with a reference to the ancient act of drawing, transmitting the raw energy to paper through charcoal or pencil.

Maijala will begin a new body of work during her residency at Forbundet Frie Fotografer (FFF), where she will look deeper in to gravity as the most fundamental force in our lives, mainly through visiting and studying the Norwegian mountains. Like gravity attracts objects towards one another, Maijala will use the topic to possibly make drawing and photography collide.
Jaana Maijala will give an artist talk at Fotogalleriet on 28 May.

Hanna Ljungh (SE): Residency in Helsinki
More information coming soon

Morten Andersen (NO): Residency in Stockholm
More information coming soon

The selection panel for 2014 consisted of:

Kjersti Solberg Monsen, Director at Forbundet Frie Fotografer
Stephanie von Spreter, Director and Curator at Fotogalleriet, Oslo
Gunilla Muhr, Director and Curator at Centrum för Fotografi, Stockholm
Leif Claesson, Deputy Director and Curator at Centrum för Fotografi, Stockholm
Mitro Kaurinkoski, Director at Hippolyte, Helsingfors
Pekke Niittyvirta, photographic artist, Exhibition Comittee Member at Photographic Gallery Hippolyte