Finnish Art Week begins today

KOCHI: The Arts Council of North Karelia, Finland, will organize Finnish Art Week in Kochi as part of its International Arts Mission from May 17 to 24. The festival will be the largest of its kind in Kerala, and aims at promoting Finnish art and culture.
“This art week acts like a cultural exchange programme to create a kind of link between the artists in Kerala and those in Finland. There is much to learn from the art and culture of Kerala,” said Tuire Hindikka, vice-president of the North Karelian Art Council.
The programme will begin with the inauguration of a visual arts exhibition, which will display sculptures, textile art, cartoons, photographs, ceramics and graphics at the Nanappa Art Gallery at 10.30am.
The second day will see a dance drama performance called ‘Aino–Below the Surface’, which is freely based on the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, that will take place at the Changampuzha Park, Edappally, at 6.30pm.
In the days that follow, there will be various other performances at the Changampuzha Park, including the screening of films ‘Lights in the Dusk’ and ‘Dog nail Clipper’ with English subtitles on May 21 and 22 at 7pm.
The visiting artists will also host a workshop led by the artistic director of Lokadharmi Theatre group, professor Chandradasan, together with Finnish theatre professionals Pirkko Kurikka and Tuire Hindikka.
The workshop will end with a performance called ‘Two Mothers in the Realm of Death’ on May 23 at 7pm. The final day will see the screening of various short films and video arts at the Nanappa Art Gallery at 5pm.