ANTI Festival presents site-specific contemporary art covering all artistic forms from sculpture and environmental art to dance, live art and performance in the Finnish town of Kuopio. Surrounded by lakes and forests, Kuopio is a stunning festival location offering a unique setting for a programme of works by some of the world’s leading contemporary artists. With an emphasis on performance, ANTI has established itself as Finland’s foremost presenter of live art while also showcasing new developments in sonic and visual arts. Site-specific time based works take place in public spaces, on streets, in office buildings, parks, shopping-centres and other privately owned sites depending on the festival’s theme and the nature of the works.

The concept of ANTI is unique in the Finnish and international art scene. In the end of September, a small city in eastern Finland plays host to the world’s only contemporary art festival presenting solely site-specific works. The festival has attracted over 50,000 visitors since its inception in 2002, gaining a truly international reputation as a meeting place for artists and audiences fascinated by how contemporary art might respond to the spaces and places of everyday life.

All the art works presented at ANTI -translating as 'gift' in Finnish- are free of charge. There’s a small participation fee for the seminar which is aimed at those who are interested in lectures, artists’ talks and discussion around current topics in contemporary art.

The festival programme consists of artworks created by invited artists and artists selected by an open proposal process.

The Artistic Directors of the festival are Gregg Whelan and Johanna Tuukkanen.

In 2006, the festival achieved national recognition as the Minister of Culture awarded the festival's Artistic Directors, Johannna Tuukkanen and Erkki Soininen, the State Prize for the Art in recognition of their contribution to the Finnish arts scene. In 2007, the internationally acclaimed artist and writer Gregg Whelan joined Johanna Tuukkanen as Co-Artistic Director. Later that year, the pair artistic received Honorary Diplomas from the City of Kuopio.

ANTI Festival joined the European Union funded A Space for Live Art project with 8 partners in 2008.

Association

ANTI is organised by ANTI - Contemporary Art Festival yhdistys ry Association, based in Kuopio, Finland. The association aims at promoting contemporary art, culture and international dialogue between artists and art festivals.

ANTI board

The board of ANTI – Contemporary Art Festival yhdistys has seven members. Members included Chairwoman and  communcations manager Minna Jaakkola, researcher Vilja Ruokolainen, dance teacher Johanna Partio, Paavo Suokko, Annamaija Hakama, Markku Ruotsalainen and executive producer Kari Voutila. Artist Kirsi Pitkänen and festival Artistic Director Gregg Whelan sit on the board as deputy members. 

Membership

As a member of ANTI – Contemporary Art Festival Association, you get VIP treatment during the festival and are invited to invitation-only openings, cocktail events and other gatherings organized by the festival. Once a year, we organize a social evening for members where we inform you about the latest news and welcome your ideas for the festival. 

The board accepts members and supporting members via written applications.

The annual membership fee is 10 € and for supporting members the minimum fee is 80 €.