Artes Mundi 2 Prize winner Eija-Liisa Ahtila returns to Cardiff
15 November 2007
Artes Mundi, in partnership with the University of Glamorgan, is delighted to present an evening with Finnish visual artist and film-maker Eija-Liisa Ahtila on Tuesday 11 December 2007 from 7.15 – 9.00pm at National Museum Cardiff. The evening will provide art lovers with a rare opportunity to listen to the artist talk about her ideas, her approach and see some examples of both recent and new work. This will be Ahtila’s first visit to Cardiff since she was awarded the second Artes Mundi Prize in 2006 and is part of Artes Mundi Advance - Aspects of Humanity series.
Ahtila - who describes her works as ‘human dramas’ - explores powerful human emotions such as love, sexuality, jealousy, anger and vulnerability. Over the years she has researched and taken an interest in those who suffer from different forms of mental illness. The House (2002), one of Ahtila’s most well known works, looks at a woman experiencing a psychological breakdown and featured in the Artes Mundi 2 Exhibition in 2006. Ahtila’s film-making combines a sophisticated artistic language and an innovative approach, to create unsettling and thoughtful work which can have a profound affect on the viewer.
Artes Mundi Advance: An evening with Eija-Liisa Ahtila
7.15pm – 9.00pm
Tuesday 11 December 2007
Reardon Smith Theatre,
National Museum Cardiff, Cathays Park, Cardiff
Entry free. Booking essential.
Call 02920 555300 or email info@artesmundi.org.
- ends -
For further information and images contact
Annie Bacon
Communications
Artes Mundi
e: anniebacon@artesmundi.org
T: +44 (0)7974 755 164
Nat Slow
Artes Mundi
e: natalieslow@artesmundi.org
T: +44 (0)2920 555300
See also the Press Room on our website www.artesmundi.org
Notes for editors
Artes Mundi is an international contemporary visual arts initiative, committed to recognising and showing some of the most exciting, emerging artists from around the world and celebrating visual culture within an international context. It highlights how artists comment on the world from very different cultural perspectives and gathers work that speaks about humanity, the human form and the human condition.
The Artes Mundi exhibition features eight artists and is presented every two years in Cardiff after an international nomination process and further global research, undertaken by two independent selectors. A separate independent panel of five judges awards the £40,000 Artes Mundi Prize to one of the exhibiting artists. The Derek Williams Trust provides funding in order that works by some of the shortlisted artists can be purchased for the national collections of Wales.
The Artes Mundi 3 Exhibition opens at the National Museum Cardiff on March 15th 2008 and continues until June 8th 2008. The Prize will be awarded in April 2008.
The Artes Mundi 3 Shortlist is Lida Abdul (based in Kabul); Vasco Araújo (lives and works in Lisbon); Mircea Cantor (lives in Romania and Paris); Dalziel and Scullion (artist duo based in Scotland); N.S. Harsha (lives and works in Mysore, India); Abdoulaye Konaté (based in Bamoko, Mali); Susan Norrie (based in Sydney, Australia) and Rosângela Rennó (lives and works in Rio de Janeiro).
Artes Mundi was founded by William Wilkins CBE (Chairman) and Tessa Jackson (Artistic Director) in 2002. It was established with the support of the Welsh Assembly Government, the City of Cardiff, Arts Council of Wales, BBC Wales and Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales, all of whom remain as partners.
This Artes Mundi Advance event is presented in partnership with Atrium, Cardiff School of Creative & Cultural Industries, University of Glamorgan.
Sponsors of Artes Mundi 3 include St David’s 2 Development, Gerald Eve and Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management. Other major supporters include The Foyle Foundation. Arts & Business, Garfield Weston Foundation and the Colwinston Charitable Trust.