Secured – Politics of Bodies and Spaces

Vantaa Art Museum Artsi’s first autumn exhibition approaches safety in public and private spaces as well as world politics. The exhibition continues Artsi’s exhibition series on societal issues and is produced in collaboration with Frame Contemporary Art Finland’s programme Rehearsing Hospitalities. The Secured – Politics of Bodies and Spaces exhibition is on display during 9 September – 24 October 2021. 

The artists of the exhibition are Panos Balomenos, Forensic Architecture, Elis Hannikainen & Vappu Jalonen, Flo Kasearu, Kristina Norman, Sepideh Rahaa, Annika Rauhala, Shubhangi Singh and Hito Steyerl. 

Safety is a basic human need, but how are safety and security created and maintained? Who is protected, and from what or whom? Secured – Politics of Bodies and Spaces explores the multidimensional reality of safety. The works approach safety and its politics in society, in public and private spaces, also including the exhibition spaces of museums. Artists of the exhibition employ different approaches, challenging and re-thinking the needs and requirements of safety and security.  

Social, cultural and economic structures can enable the violence experienced by individuals and minorities facing discrimination, both in public spaces and homes. Secured – Politics of Bodies and Spaces highlights the significance of artistic work in approaching the subject. Art provides a means for us to examine and challenge structural distortions in the justice system and everyday culture. 

The feeling of safety and threat of violence are personal, local and bodily experiences, but the circumstances guiding them are marked by similarities and connections between geographical and cultural places. The exhibition sheds light on these connections. Narratives are formed between the works, and topics of the exhibition can be viewed from Myyrmäki to Mumbai, St. Petersburg to Kyiv and Kurdistan to Athens. 

Museum as an institution is a part of international networks and power structures. Safety in museums is often tied to the safety of artworks and collections, along with the protection of the museum building. We ask whether a museum can provide safety and protection for the different communities and individuals as visitors. Who finds the museum and its power structures safe? 

Secured – Politics of Bodies and Spaces has been curated by Jussi Koitela, Head of Programme at Frame Contemporary Art Finland, and Christine Langinauer, Exhibition Curator at Vantaa Art Museum Artsi.