Artist residency

26.6.-2.7.2023

Exhibition in the Process room until 16th of July

From June 26th to July 16th, Dare to Care Art Collective invites you to an exhibition with workshops and performances about the physicality of emotions and bodily experiencing.

On the Texture of Feelings is about mental health and the Arts. The exhibition is accompanied by workshops and performances.

During a week-long residency at Myymälä2 Gallery artists Miriam Poletti, Ania Duldiier, Cami Ruohonen and Kristýna Ilek will investigate the complex relationship between emotions, body and nature.

Using macro images of the skin of her body, Poletti is creating sculpture-pillows. Through a workshop, she invites local artists to collectively explore the correlation between the mind, mental stress and the body, to create an object that reflects their unexpected connections. The work will be displayed in the end-of-residency exhibition.

Duldiier’s performance Rebirth explores identity, culture shock, and adaptation as well as ways in which artists seek to establish connections and build relationships with new realities. She uses soil and moss as a connection to the earth and the natural world, representing the process of rebirth, renewal, and transformation that occur when one immerses themselves in a new culture.

Ruohonen’s series of paintings Healing, touch and nature investigates mindfulness and nature through the journey from darkness to light: suffering, dealing, seeking, and healing. Before starting therapy, clear sky and greenery always helped her with anxiety and depression. Her abstract paintings Distilled memories are inspired by her skin’s recollection of nature.

Ilek will present two iterations of autobiographical participatory performance ‘I’m not a therapist, can we still talk about feelings?’ with a small group of local artists. She will share her experiences with mental health problems in her artistic career and encourage the audience to explore theirs. Participatory performance allows open and safe dialogue about this complex issue.

Dare to Care is a group of emerging artists from a wide range of different disciplines within the creative industry working across Europe. They focus on mental health issues, their aim as a collective is to destigmatize the debate about artists and mental health. See more about their work at dare-to-care.art. Dare to Care members met at De Structura International Forum in Tallinn, Estonia in July 2022.

Main events and program

Monday 26th June to Sunday 2nd July – Artists in residency
The three artists are in residency in Myymälä2 Gallery with open atelier, you are welcome to visit and have a look at any moment during the day.

Wednesday 28th June, 17:00 – Mind and body. Poletti’s workshop
After a collective exploration of the correlation between the mind (and mental stress) and the body, participants are invited to create an object that reflects their unexpected connections.

Friday 30th June, 17:30 – On the Texture of Feelings Exhibition opening
A public event to celebrate the end of Dare to Care residency and the beginning of the exhibition at Myymälä2 Gallery. There will be a space for introductory discourses and a new performance by Ania Duldiier and Kristýna Ilek.

Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd July – Roundtables and visits with the artists
The last two days of the residency, the three artists would be available for discussions and guided visits t the exhibition. Specific dates and times will be announced soon on Myymälä2 and Dare to Care social channels.

Further information about workshops and changes to the programme will be announced on Myymälä2 Gallery website and social media channels.

Supported by The European Union, Goethe Institut and TelepArt.

This project has been produced by Mathilde Palenius as a part of De Struktura