Mellanförskap (in-betweenness/väliin jääminen)
“Mellanförskap (in-betweenness) is a feeling found when one moves between or outside established norms around national or cultural identity. The feeling of in-betweenness has been created by a certain form of exclusion and marginalisation (Arbouz, 2012).”
“Mellanförskap (väliin jääminen) on tunne, jonka voi havaita, kun joku liikkuu kansallisuuteen tai kulttuuriseen identiteettiin liittyvien normien välillä tai niiden ulkopuolella. Väliin jäämisen tunne syntyy tietynlaisesta ulos jättämisen ja marginalisaation muodosta (Arbouz, 2012).”
The works presented in this exhibition don’t conform to a finalised body but rather the sketches of an exploration consisting of doodles, meditative reflexions and personal notes about Kemê and Arlene Tucker’s resonance with the term Mellanförskap, which has no direct translation in other languages.
Arlene Tucker’s socially engaged work utilizes translation studies, visual art, semiotics, and feminist practices. She currently works as a diversity expert at Culture for All Service and runs the project Diversity as a starting point for municipalities’ art and culture activities in 2025.
Aside from the diversity work Arlene also works as an artist and educator. “I realise my art through installation and dialogical practices. Always a co-creation with the public, my work allows us to share perspectives about identity and belonging through different mediums and approaches such as memories, hair, and letter writing.” Arlene has a bachelor’s degree in film, video and painting (Savannah College of Art and Design), a master’s degree in semiotics (University of Tartu) and a teacher’s certificate from the University of Helsinki.
www.arlenetucker.net
Kemê (She/Her/Kemê) is a poet, parent and multidisciplinary artist based in Helsinki who works with photography, performance, installation and text, often hybridising them. She sees the arts as something closer to alchemy or magic, the spiritual and the subconscious. While her curiosity leads her to work with concepts such as memory, representation, symbols and rites, Her process embraces the complexity of our construction and the constructions we inhabit.
In recent years, Kemê has worked through her project ”Villi Akka” around the power of tales, myths and archetypes in storytelling tradition to address contemporary life, challenging the negative images given historically by the binary opposition system.
As she strives to become a better ancestor through antiracist and intersectional feminist processes, Kemê seeks to contribute the same way to good practices in the arts & culture sector, where she acts as a facilitator, educator or coordinator. www.onehatmanyheads.com
https://www.kulttuuriakaikille.fi/moninaisuus
