HuutoTOURISM

Tourism" The practice of traveling to and staying in places outside ones usual environment for leisure

During 2008, Galleria Huuto will visit the Sami Artist Center in Kárásohka with two exhibitions, in February and September. Next year this project will be taken to Gallery La Sala Naranja in Valencia, Spain.

Maija Blåfield: "A tourist bus is on a sightseeing tour. It stops and then goes on again. A guide is talking, we look out of the window. Even here every passenger sees something no-one else can see, and has experiences no-one else has."

Niina Braun: "I have been living in Berlin with my family for four years. We are just living common everyday life of a family with children. I still often feel like an outsider tourist in Berlin, but for my children it is their home town. That is why they are in the leading role on my video."

Tanja Koistila: "Everything is relative, and depends on the situation. As a tourist, you only spend a short while somewhere; you are irresponsible and critical; yet traveling is enjoyable, and you are open to new experiences and views. Then again, it’s possible that you attract undesired attention, or represent something you wouldn’t like to. Quests for exoticism and distance might lead you to the average corner store, regardless of how far you’ve travelled."

Marjo Levlin:"Last autumn I found in our abandoned summerhouse some old tourist badges that I had bought on the trips in my childhood, and remembered my youth dreams to travel all around the world. I got the idea to make a dress of these dreams; a dress that is also a dress of power. For me it somehow includes the dilemma of the world today, with possibilities of fulfilling dreams and yet being conscious of the consequences our acts of freedom may have. Most of the badges and streamers in this dress are souvenirs of strangers, bought from flea markets in Finland. I often escape to these markets to search for surprises; to trips that are cheap and enjoyable."

Charlotta Östlund:"My parents-in-law visited Iceland and bought a souvenir plate with a map of the country and polar bears on it. There are no polar bears in Iceland. Why would anyone want to sell such a plate? Sometimes, it seems like there is a silent agreement between the tourists and the locals, when they are trying to fulfill your expectations. I am interested in the idea that you by being present always affect a place. As a tourist, there’s a risk that your presence exploit the place of your interest. However, it can also contribute to the development of the place’s identity."