International Curatorial Research Residence
“Enquiry for Ancestral Memory”
20-23.02.2025
Event 22.02.2025 at 13:00–15:00

Between 20 and 23rd February curators and artists from Köttinspektionen (Uppsala, Sweden), Pamenkalnio (Vilnius, Lithuania), and Myymälä2 (Helsinki, Finland) will be gathering at Myymälä2 for a curatorial research residence. The curatorial residence will be dedicated to the pilot meeting to planning a travelling group exhibition that in 2026 will show work from artists based in these three countries, exploring memory and heritage as tools to connect with and preserve our natural resources. The goal is to come together to shape the core exhibition concept, meet local artists, and exchange ideas with the public.

The project “Enquiry for Ancestral Memory” (working title) co-curated by Alba Folgado, Kotryna Džilavjan and Ramiro Camelo explores the lessons inherited from our ancestors about nature and the importance of preserving it, particularly in the face of extractivist and capitalist pressures. It highlights the role of communities deeply connected to natural landscapes, in defending resources against exploitation. Through an exchange between Lithuanian, Swedish, and Finnish artists, inspired by stories of environmental struggles, new artworks will be created and presented in both countries to reflect on themes of land and justice.

During the residency, the schedule of activities and tasks will be organised, the exhibition concept refined, and several visits to artists; and studios will be planned. Additionally, the curators will introduce the project to the public and local audiences on 22nd of February at Myymälä2.

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Curators:

Alba Folgado is a curator based in Uppsala, Sweden. Her practice frequently focuses on exploring the visual narratives of social uprisings, including spatial, affective and counter-historical questions. Folgado holds an MA in Curating Contemporary Art from the Royal College of Art (London) and is curator at Köttinspektionen (Uppsala) as part of HAKA group. She is also the artistic director of A Movement to Hold, an archive for artistic representations that revisit critical and non-hegemonic experiences.

Kotryna Džilavjan is an art critic and gallerist based in Vilnius, Lithuania. Since 2013, she has been the head of Pamėnkalnio Gallery, responsible for the artistic programme and administrative management of the gallery. Her key activities include organising visual art exhibitions, coordinating programs for young artists, facilitating international collaborations, and developing educational projects.

Ramiro Camelo is a curator and Baltic Fellowship Network (BFN) project manager at Myymälä 2, Helsinki. Obtained a Master’s degree in Curating Contemporary Art at the Royal College of Art, London. BFN is a curatorial research programme initiated by Myymälä2 whose aim is to potentiate collaboration, foster partnerships and facilitate artistic exchanges among art institutions, exhibition spaces, individuals and counterparts based in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Katarina Sundkvist Zohari is an artist living in Uppsala, Sweden. She works with sculpture and printmaking, investigating human existence in time through form and movement. Katarina is one of the founders and collaborators of Köttinspektionen and has been curating and finalising exhibitions since 2014. She also works with other participatory projects such as Konst Tar Plats and Rusmus.

Anne Naukkarinen is a Helsinki-based choreographer, performer, and visual artist. In her practice, she focuses on intimate and complex human experiences: affects, emotions, sensations, and thoughts that are in motion in relation to situations. She uses methods from dance and somatic practices, as well as experimental writing—such as note-making—to delve into these elements. Her works mediate and are attentive to the poetic, social, and ecological aspects and structures of making art, and locate themselves in the intersections of contemporary dance, visual art, and the expanded field of choreography.

Meri Hietala is a multidisciplinary artist currently based in Häme, Finland. She creates performances, site-specific installations, happenings and sound art. Their artistic work can be also categorized as environmental and participatory art, she often collaborates in multimedia projects, sharing their sound and body-based practice. Inspiration for her are dirt and plants, ash, mushrooms as well as fresh and endangered sounds. She explores inner and outer environments with physical and acoustic methods. Their performances explore fertility, waste, dreams, time, ancestral lineages, collective organisms and skins as borders.

Julija Pociūtė is an interdisciplinary artist known for her mixed media installations based on the interaction between video art, sculpture, design elements and photography. Her last year’s artistic research explores the diverse ways of experiencing and connecting with nature and the inner self, aiming to understand the layers of human and non-human reality and rethinking their interrelationships. She is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Lapland in Finland, where she focuses on the impact of mindfulness and art-based practices on collaboration with trees and interconnection with the forest.

Graphics: Lorena Articardi

“Enquiry for Ancestral Memory” residency is hosted by Myymälä2’s Baltic Fellowship Network. The residency is co-organized with:
Pamenkalnio Gallery, (Vilnius, Lithuania) and Kottinspektionen Art Space, (Uppsala, Sweden).

Myymälä2 “Enquiry for Ancestral Memory” curatorial residence is kindly supported by Suomen Kulttuurirahasto.