More about the theme of the exhibition
Extractivism refers to an economic and political model centered on the large-scale removal of natural resources—such as minerals, oil, gas, timber, and agricultural products—from the Earth, primarily for export and profit. One key form of extractive activity is the mining of metallic ores and minerals.
Finland has a long tradition of mining that dates back centuries, but modern industrial-scale extractive operations began to take shape in the 20th century. The current global race for mining and metals has also intensified due to the ongoing energy transition, which involves moving away from fossil fuels and requires a significantly increased supply of mined minerals and metals. As a result, Finland becomes one of the frontiers of this new wave of extraction.
Organizers of the exhibition
The exhibition is based on the research-art collaborative work from the academic project “Pluriversal Waters: Tracing Hydro-Ontologies Across Colonial-Extractivist Assemblages” funded by the Kone Foundation and hosted at the Politics department at Tampere University.
The exhibition is organized by Natalia Batrakova and Iuliia Gataulina, members of the “Pluriversal Waters” research project. Natalia is a visual artist in the project, and Iuliia is a postdoctoral researcher at Tampere University in the fields of political science and political ecology.
The exhibition is composed of drawings, memories, sketches, illustrations, recordings, and stories gathered during online data collection and field trips around Finland and Sápmi.