Pilvi Takala

Pilvi Takala uses performative interventions as a means to process social structures and question the normative rules and truths of our behaviour in different cultural contexts. Her works emerge out of research in a certain community and then reach out to a wider audience through different mediums, e.g. videos. Her works clearly show that it is often possible to learn about the implicit rules of a social situation only by its disruption. She quotes and stretches the limits of different genres, including documentary making and performance.

Pilvi Takala (b.1981, Helsinki) lives and works in Berlin and Helsinki. Due to her long-term practice, she has made an exceptionally fast and remarkable rise to international recognition. After graduating from the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in 2006, Takala has continuously attended numerous international exhibitions and festivals. Her solo exhibitions include e.g. CCA Glasgow; Bonniers Konsthall, Stockholm; Kunsthalle Erfurt; Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki; Kunsthal Aarhus, Denmark and Sorlandets Kunstmuseum, Norway. Her work has been shown in e.g. Mediacity Biennale, Seoul; Moscow Museum of Modern Art; Manifesta 11, Zurich; Centre Pompidou, Paris; MoMA PS1 and New Museum, New York; Palais de Tokyo; Kunsthalle Basel; Witte de With, Rotterdam; and the 9th Istanbul Biennial. Takala won the Dutch Prix de Rome in 2011 and the Emdash Award in 2013. The winning work was presented at the Frieze Art Fair in London. In 2013 she also won the Finnish State Prize for visual arts and was nominated for the Ars Fennica.

Takala has been selected to represent Finland at the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022. The exhibition in the Pavilion of Finland is curated by Christina Li, and commissioned and produced by Frame Contemporary Art Finland.