The artist for the artwork to grace the front of the joint terminal of the Port of Turku has been chosen
The Port of Turku and City of Turku organised a portfolio search to find an artist to create a work of art in Otkantti Square next to the new joint terminal. Otkantti Square is one of the central hubs in the area, through which up to 3 million passengers will pass once the new terminal is operational. The work will be the first permanent artwork in the Linnanniemi art district.
The project jury received altogether 82 high-quality portfolios for evaluation. The selection criteria for the portfolio search included the artist’s appeal and suitability for the project based on their previous artistic production. When evaluating the portfolios, the jury considered each artist’s past experience with public art, level of artistic production and potential to create a work befitting the site.
Based on the evaluation, the jury chose sculptor and visual artist Hans-Christian Berg from Inkoo to create the artwork. His portfolio charmed the jury with the colourfulness, boldness and recognisability of the works, which make it possible for the artwork to develop into a landmark. Berg’s past public artworks include Nereidi in Helsinki and the Lake Spirit sculpture in Järvenpää.
“The architecture of the new terminal is light and breathes with dynamic movement, and it inspires me greatly and makes me feel that I can use these starting points to take my production to new levels in this commission. I also want to mention that I have always spent my free time no more than a stone’s throw from the sea, so the sea, ecology and technological competence have always been near and dear to my heart, which also shows in my art”, says Hans-Christian Berg.
Next, the project will be moving into the planning phase where the artist makes a draft of the artwork. Before the start of the drafting process, a kick-off meeting will be held with the artist to review the parameters and timetable of the art project together with the working group of Linnanniemi art.
The artwork should express the themes of the Linnanniemi art programme
In the future, the Linnanniemi area will develop into Turku’s first art district. An art programme has been drafted for the area, and the goals and principles of this programme govern the realisation of the art for the joint terminal too.
The thematic starting points for the area highlighted in the art programme are proximity to the sea, especially the archipelago and the Baltic Sea, internationalism, the cultural history of the area as well as the environment and ecology. The artwork for the terminal is expected to express some of these themes in an inventive and imaginative way and to be artistically and technically high in quality. The art project for the joint terminal particularly takes into account the aspects of ecological sustainability.
The artist was chosen based on the submitted portfolios by a jury that consisted of the project’s art working group, an artist member named by the Turku Artists’ Association and representatives of the shipping companies that will operate in the joint terminal.
The total budget for the art project is €150,000 (excluding VAT). The Arts Promotion Centre Finland has granted the project funding based on the principle of one percent for art.
The artwork should be completed along with the new terminal by the beginning of 2027. The goal is to reveal the artwork in conjunction with the opening of the terminal.