We are pleased to announce that the shortlisted artists for the Below Zero 2020 Finnish Art Prize are Sara Bjarland, Teija and Pekka Isorättyä, Tuula Närhinen, Kati Roover and Elsa Salonen.

The selection committee (curator Taru Elfving, Naomi Siderfin and David Crawforth from the Beaconsfield Gallery, curator Hannele Tilles and Jaakko Nousiainen, Head of Arts and Culture from the Finnish Institute in London) focused on artists who have not previously won a prize and who would benefit from a major UK commission.

The unique UK based contemporary art prize for Finnish artists emerging on the international scene, returns to Beaconsfield Gallery Vauxhall in association with the Finnish Institute in London. For 2020 Below Zero offers a substantial production prize worth up to £15,000. Theme of this year’s prize is ‘Resilient Futures’.

The prize offers a platform for a London residency and a new commission mentored by Beaconsfield, thereby fostering positive relations and creating new opportunities for intellectual cross-fertilisation between Finland and the UK. Below Zero is open to Finnish artists who have studied to degree level, either in Finland or the UK, and may be resident anywhere in the world.

In the following videos the shortlisted artists speak about their work:

Sara Bjarland

Pekka & Teija Isorättyä

Tuula Närhinen

Kati Roover

Elsa Salonen