Podcasts and Playlists / 06.2021 / Issue 4

Who Has Freedom of Speech in Art?

Ristena Biret Kirstte Nilla Pinja, Pinja Pieski

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?

Sound design: Elle Kokkonen

Elle Kokkonen is a mobile artist working in the fields of experimental music, performance, and writing. They come from a tiny village called Partakko on the Finnish side of Sápmi. Elle’s main interests lay in the small, overlooked and domestic things and DIY art practices. Their psychedelic lo-fi folk moniker is njihe – the name comes from the Aanaar Sámi name of their home base, Njihenjargâ, which roughly translates into “the headland of the tree askew towards the water”. At the moment they are trying to finish their MA degree in sound design at the Theatre Academy of Helsinki.

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