Press Release January 28, 2001
F2F Exhibition Continues Its Tour in Washington DC

F2F: New Media Art from Finland exhibition was first shown in Los Angeles in fall 2000. The exhibition will next open in Washington DC at the Embassy of Finland, 3301 Massachusetts Avenue, NW on February 5 and run through March 3, 2001.

The exhibition displays interactive installations by nine media artists. The featured artists and their works are IceBorg by Andy Best and Merja Puustinen; The Battle Over Indifferent Minds by Hanna Haaslahti; mirror++ by Juha Huuskonen; SOB by Marita Liulia; Aquarium by Teijo Pellinen & Co.; hit2Morrow by Kristian Simolin; Need by Tuomo Tammenpää; and Mother, Child by Heidi Tikka.

F2F is a contemporary finnish comment on the dialogue on the role of technology in communication. The artists map out unexplored territory using the tools of new media in innovative ways. They combine cutting edge new technology with the long tradition of visual presentation and low tech equipment.

F2F explores three themes - the border between digital and analog expression; social interaction in the digital era; and new digital worlds. The works are out of the box and off the screen - organic, textural, and minimalist. These experimental installations encourage the audience to interact with the artwork on many levels.

The F2F Exhibition was initiated by Anneli Halonen, Embassy of Finland, Washington, DC, and curated by Marko Tandefelt in collaboration with Bryn Jayes. Marko Tandefelt has also been the Technical Advisor for F2F. The exhibition was designed by Ilkka Suppanen and produced by the Embassy of Finland, Washington, DC and the Finnish Foundation for the Visual Arts in New York, Executive Director Juulia Kauste.

The name F2F is derived from f2f, an acronym used in Internet lingo for non-electronic face to face communication that takes place outside of the computer.

F2F is a platform for creating synergies, virtually and face to face, between the worlds of art, culture and beyond in Finland and the United States. It is an international arts event with venues in major U.S. cities throughout 2000-2002. F2F consists of screenings, exhibitions and media art events; collaborations through the Internet; lectures and discussion forums; as well as artist in residence exchanges.

F2F has been generously supported by Sonera, Unisys and William and Gloria Jackson. Additional funding has been provided by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, the Ministry of Education of Finland, the Embassy of Finland in Washington D.C. and the Arts Council of Finland.

For more information, please contact the Embassy of Finland, Anneli Halonen at (202)298 5823, e-mail anneli.halonen@formin.fi or Liisa Levänen at (202)298-5822, e-mail Liisa.levanen@formin.fi, www.finland.org, or the Finnish Foundation for the Visual Arts, Juulia Kauste at (212)674-5570, e-mail ffvanyc@aol.com. Images are available in electronic format on the F2F web-site at www.F2Fmedia.net/press.htm.