14.3.2026 15:00-17:00
at Museum of Impossible Forms

Welcome to the launch event and discussion on Saturday, 14 March at 15:00 at the Museum of Impossible Forms.

This thematic issue of Mustekala online cultural journal emerged from the shared concerns of eleven contemporary art professionals regarding the accelerating militarisation and financialisation of society. The contributors also examine the shift of power within the art field toward private foundations and collectors, and how this transformation is reflected in both art and society.

More specifically, the issue addresses the following topics: institutional self-censorship; art as a tool of international diplomacy; the hegemony of financialisation; blacklists; the culturalisation of warfare; the dangers of normalisation and the demand for democratic processes; the redistribution of resources within the art field; and the shift from a paternalistic leadership culture in the paper industry to similar structures in art museums.

The special issue includes contributions by: Terike Haapoja & Jussi Koitela, Minna Henriksson, Miina Hujala, Savu E. Korteniemi, Ansa Masiina & R. Liininen, Tero Nauha & Karolina Kucia, Merja Puustinen, and Eero Yli-Vakkuri. With editorial support by Jenna Jauhiainen and image editing by Ida Palojärvi.

The event starts with an introduction to each contribution, after which we welcome an open discussion about the above topic of ‘soft and hard power! Several protest-decorations made in workshops around Finland are also presented in the event. These were originally produced for an Alkovi gallery exhibition (on view from November 2025 to February 2026) bearing the same name as the special issue.
The special issue is published in Finnish, but the launch event will be held in English.