Spencer Tunick is coming to Finland – Kuopio will be stripping off this summer!

The VB Photography Centre will bring the New York photographic artist Spencer Tunick, who is known for his nude landscapes, to Kuopio in the summer of 2023. His previous installation was created in Helsinki in 2002 and now it will take place on the shores of Kuopio, Finland known as ‘the Capital of Lakeland’. Tunick has documented the naked masses in different public and natural locations since 1994. In his productions hundreds upon thousands of people have stripped off and created a unique scenery. Over 100 installations have taken place in countries across the world.

Seeking volunteers

The artist is inviting volunteers to participate in his installation on the 15th of July. In case of bad weather, the installation will be postponed to the next day. The exact location and time of the event will be announced to the participants two weeks to ten days before the installation will take place. All over 18-year-olds are welcome to participate. All the participants will receive a limited edition print of the installation as a memento of a unique, once in a lifetime experience. The public can sign up to participate in Kuopio at: KuopioTunick.com.

The works challenge our view of nudity and public space

With his works Spencer Tunick wants to encourage us to appreciate the human body and view it as a form of art, just like a painting or a sculpture. When another artist might paint a scenery with oil paints or sculpt their idea out of clay, Tunick uses bare skin and its countless different tones to create a sort of an abstraction and a new form. These photographs created out of human masses do not emphasize sexuality, but challenges our view of nudity and public space.

Why Kuopio?

Tunick became interested in Kuopio as a possible location for his installation when he was inquired about a summer exhibition for the VB Photography Centre. After discovering where Kuopio was even actually located, the artist who seizes opportunities based on intuition, got excited about the city surrounded by lakes that were dotted with countless islands. The Finnish summer light also fascinated him. Tunick fondly looks back at the installation created in Helsinki, and believes that Finns are open and supportive of the body nude in art. He also hopes participants from Helsinki can make the trip to Kuopio in July to make art with him again. The installation that will take place on the 15th of July will accumulate a lot of international interest and coverage towards Kuopio. Marketing Director Kirsi Soininen and Deputy Mayor Pekka Vähäkangas from the city of Kuopio are pleased.

“Admirable and brave act from the VB Photography Centre. The acclaimed artist-photographer arrives in Kuopio to create something that the city has never experienced before. We are delighted that Tunick wants to use our beautiful lakelands in his works.”

The city of Kuopio has supported the installation.