Ristena Biret Kirstte Nilla Pinja aka Pinja Pieski is a sámi indigenous artist, feminist and activist from Deanu river, from the Finnish side of Sápmi. They are currently living in Helsinki, studying and doing performing arts.
Let’s go back to 2016 and put Kiasma case to the table, cultural appropriation and Jenni Hiltunen’s video artwork called Grind.
Who has the freedom of speech in art? What about the responsibility of speech? Can artworks be misinterpreted? Why do some people’s opinions weigh more than others? What is institutional responsibility? What about the media’s responsibility?
It’s really damaging if some marginalized groups of people are only talked about in negative connotations among media, such as indignant mind apologists. It forms a lot of prejudice and gaps between people and interaction.
Cultural appropriation differs largely from cultural dialogue, where both sides of the dialogue get something from each other. Could now, after five years, the world be more prepared for these dialogues?