Teemu Mäki's speech at the 160th anniversary of the Association

Good afternoon everyone… and welcome to this birthday party.

I’m Teemu Mäki, chairperson of the board of the Artists’ Association of Finland.

Artists’ Association of Finland, abbreviated as AAF, was founded on 3rd of May, 1864. So today we are celebrating our 160th anniversary. I think it's amazing. On the other hand, in the light history, it’s also logical that the Artists’ Association of Finland is more than 50 years older than Finland, because Finnish art was born before the Finnish republic — and art played an important role in creating the idea of Finland and the Finnish identity.

In 1864 visual art, the so-called fine art included painting, printmaking and sculpture, nothing else. Visual art has since developed in an amazingly versatile direction. Photography, installation art, performance art, video art, sound art, participatory community art and many other forms of contemporary art have been welcomed under the roof of visual art — or they were born under this roof. I am proud and happy about this openness.

AAF is an umbrella organization with six members: The Association of Finnish Sculptors, Artists’ Association MUU, The Association of Finnish Printmakers, Finnish Painters' Union, The Association of Photographic Artists and The Union of Finnish Art Associations. We represent 3,200 visual artists, i.e. practically all professional visual artists working in Finland — regardless of their nationality.

As a young artist I took this for granted, but today I realize that it is an… achievement. In many other countries, only a small minority of visual artists belong to any union. In many countries, there are also several visual artists’ unions fighting with each other. In some countries, there is no organization representing visual artists.

Well, why is this association needed? What is the mission of AAF?

In the early years, AAF was mainly a discussion club for visual artists. There was no internet, not even telephones, so physical gatherings were urgently needed. AAF was also an enthusiastic organizer of art exhibitions. Today, we only organize the Young Artists exhibition, every three years. Our main focus has shifted.

Today, our main task is ADVOCACY WORK: ADVANCING THE INTERESTS AND RIGHTS OF VISUAL ARTISTS. That may sound boring or gloomy, but it's actually a lot of fun and an inspiring thing to do. And it's not a selfish thing: we don't pursue the interests of artists at the expense of others. We just defend the freedom of art and the artists' right for appropriate working conditions and fair compensation for their work.

It’s good to remember that if AAF and its member unions did not exist, nobody would necessarily try to improve the position visual artists in Finland. At least our interests and rights would not be on the agenda of any organization.

Our second task is: COMMUNICATIONS — FROM ARTIST TO ARTIST AND LOVERS OF ART. Visual artists in Finland are in touch with each other through AAF and its member organizations. We share information about art by sending newsletters to artists and through Taiteilija / Artist magazine and Taide / Art magazine we reach out to the general public as well.

Our third goal is STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF ART IN SOCIETY. We want art to become an even more important part of the Finnish society than it is today. Art is not decoration. Art is not a luxury that is splurged on only when there is so much wealth that you don't know where to put it all. Instead, art is... a particularly free, flexible and versatile form of critical thinking and critical discussion. That is why art is vitally important for democracy and open society.

It's no coincidence that when Vladimir Putin came to power in Russia, he right away started to hammer at both the arts and the media, and turned them into his blindly obedient lackeys.

In Finland the freedom of expression is fortunately in good shape. Here everyone can express themselves however they want to. And it’s safe. But that's not enough. In order to freedom of speech to be truly realized, it is not enough to be allowed to express oneself. There must also be an opportunity to get training for it and the opportunity to be heard and be taken seriously. That's why art and other forms of public debate should not be left at the mercy of market forces. Instead, we need to maintain and develop an assertive cultural policy that makes versatile and diverse critical debate really happen — also in art.

Art is a significant part of the national economy. Art is a highly refined branch of production and more ecological than the average. Art sector employs a lot of people — more than, say, Finnish agriculture and forestry combined. Art is also a branch of production that doesn’t easily escape to other countries in search for the cheapest labor. And art is one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy.

Art has great, positive effects on well-being. Art produces a longer life, better physical and mental health. Art prevents marginalization, empowers minorities, increases social cohesion and peaceful interaction between different groups of people. Artists don't have to be afraid of this kind of well-being talk. I don’t think it will reduce the freedom and independence of art. Instead of endlessly repeating how intrinsically valuable art supposedly is, it’s good for us to study and develop the many ways in which art produces a good life. Well-being is an urban space made comfortable with the help of art. But even more important form of well-being is the opportunity for every person to explore their fears and dreams by enjoying art, the opportunity to look in the mirror by looking at art, and the opportunity to express and develop their own feelings, thoughts and values by making art or consuming art.

And just like in 1864, art still is one of the essential ways in which the identity of Finland and Finns is maintained — and not only maintained, but also updated. Through art we reflect on... what is good life, what do we want to become... and what kind of world do we want to create?

In Helsinki, 3.5.2024,

Teemu Mäki