Finland 2022 (Aalto)

Title: Close Watch
Commissioner: Raija Koli, Frame Finland
Curators: Christina Li
Exhibitors: Pilvi Takala

Pilvi Takala was chosen to represent Finland in the historic Aalto Pavilion for the 59th La Biennale di Venezia. “Close Watch” is a multichannel video installation that investigates the theme of the private security industry.

Takala worked for six months as a guard in one of Finland’s largest shopping malls. The piece is centred on workshops she developed in response to issues encountered on the job during her six-month employment at one of Finland’s largest shopping malls.

Working undercover, staging social situations and infiltrating communities, Takala’s artistic practice exposes often-unspoken rules and norms in society. Exploring security as both a concept and an industry, “Close Watch” considers how it defines our public space and the behaviour tolerated within it.