Faces of Europe exhibition in Helsinki
In August of this year, Carsten had already come to Finland to take pictures. Here and during his trip through the EU member states he searched for and found humanity, emotionality and the visionary power of the European idea. These are also in personal stories of Finnish citizens. Among his many human encounters on the streets of Helsinki and in Turku, Carsten is still amazed today: “I got to know the Finns as cosmopolitan and innovative. With their strong sense of community that things can only be achieved by working together, I see the Finns are regarded by me as a role model for the idea of Europe.”The exhibition illuminates the center of Helsinki against the backdrop of the Corona pandemic. In its artistic and cultural form, it serves as a connector between European citizens. Commenting on this, Ambassador Konrad Arz of Straussenburg: “With this exhibition Carsten Sander creates a common public space in Europe with the faces of the people. space in Europe with the faces and stories of the Europeans – a worthy conclusion of the German EU Presidency 2020 in Finland. The exhibition shows, what Foreign Minister Maas recently emphasized in a speech: Europe’s strength lies in the diversity of our local, regional and national identities. These identities will never merge into a European super-public. But we need more exchange between Europeans.”In total, the artwork consists of 14 light stelae with “augmented reality” elements as well as a monitor stele showing Finnish and European faces and stories – and stories – underpinned by the new soundtrack of Finnish works in a German-Finnish co-production of the German band “Salzufer” and the Leipzig-based artists Arto Mäkelä and Anna Michelsen, who are from Finland.
