School of Business' public art explores humanity and its tensions

The art collection and art catalogue were published in the opening event of the new main building of the School of Business. The art concept Human approach respects the past, still keeping an eye on the future. Public art at the School of Business aims to create an inclusive and dialogical experience and to create an open and low hierarchy working and learning environment.
'Art can induce us to freely explore the world beyond fixed meanings or conceptions. In doing so, art can also create friction. Here at Aalto University, we believe that only through such collisions of different viewpoints, disciplines and knowledge communities can we create something new: the not-yet-known future,' says Anna Valtonen, Vice President of Arts and Creative Practices of Aalto University.

The main piece of the collection respects the past and looks to the future
'For me the art concept Human Approach means being aware of other people. It’s a question of being a part of community, not so much a question of someone individual goals,' says Kirsi Kivivirta, artist of the main piece of the Human Approach collection.
With harmonious colours that respect the architecture, STAGE welcomes everyone who enters the new building. The choice of ceramic as the material for an entrance artwork also respects the history of the former School of Business main building. STAGE creates an imaginary scene, a flexible frame for meetings and activities.

A video series of a startup event through the eyes of a performative researcher
School of Business' 2018 Artist in Residence Pilvi Takala's If your heart wants it video series focuses social interaction in the startup event SLUSH. Takala and her team infiltrated to the event and immersed themselves in SLUSH through different conversations and side events. The video series examines the tensions and interaction between the different actors.
'Start up entrepreneurs are glorified within Finnish society as perfect citizens. Ideas that prevail in startup culture branch out and effect society at large, for better and for worse. This includes the normalisation of suffering as "no pain no gain". Through this work I am looking critically at these phenomenas as a manifestation of the culture of ‘pöhinä’, which is promoted as new and fresh, but ultimately still functions to continue the neoliberalisation of society,' Takala says.
Human Approach is a versatile collection of public art
The art concept for School of Business was co-created by Aalto University’s Art Coordinator Outi Turpeinen with the students and staff of School of Business.

Turpeinen curated the other pieces of the collection together with Bassam El Baroni, Assistant Professor at the School of Arts, Design and Architecture. Artists of the other pieces, Anu Kauhaniemi, Navine G. Khan-Dossos, Saana Murtti, Tuomo Saali, Maiju Salmenkivi, Tatu Tuominen and GRRRR, are internationally renowned actors. The collection also includes works donated by the Paulo Foundation to the School of Business, some of which have been part of the School's art collection already in its former main building in Töölö.