Kaija Kaitavuori

Contemporary art is multiform by nature and is constantly renewing itself. This sets a challenge for the museum: how to track and collect something that is perpetually changing? The Kiasma Collection Book celebrates the active role the Museum of Contemporary Art has had as a collector of contemporary art for more than three decades. Kiasma's collection forms a part of the national cultural heritage and is one of the most significant collections of contemporary art in Northern Europe. It captures the present moment of art, also for future generations. The Collection Book sheds light on different aspects of contemporary art as well as on Kiasma's collections through a rich selection of images and six articles by experts.

Nykytaide on monimuotoista ja uudistuu kaiken aikaa. Museolle tämä asettaa haasteen: miten seurata ja kerätä sellaista, mikä muuttuu jatkuvasti? Kiasman kokoelmakirja juhlistaa Nykytaiteen museo Kiasman aktiivista roolia nykytaiteen kerääjänä yli kolmen vuosikymmenen aikana. Kiasman kokoelma on osa kansallista kulttuuriperintöä ja yksi merkittävimmistä pohjoiseurooppalaisista nykytaiteen kokoelmista. Se tallentaa taiteen nykyhetkeä myös tuleville sukupolville. Kokoelmakirja valottaa nykytaiteen ilmiöitä ja Kiasman kokoelmaa runsaan kuvamateriaalin ja kuuden asiantuntija-artikkelin kautta.

The early 21st century has seen contemporary art make continued use of audience participation, in which the spectator becomes part of the artwork itself. In this book, Kaija Kaitavuori claims that the `participator' is a new artistic role that does not fall under the auspices of artist or spectator and in proving such she devises a four-group typology of involvement. Her classification distinguishes between different forms of engagement and identifies their specific features. The key criteria she proposes are how concepts of authorship and ownership shift in relation to collectively created work, how contracts regulating the use and production of shared work are arranged and the extent to which involvement in making art can be regarded as democratic. This highly original book thus offers students and teachers the tools with which to improve their understanding of participatory art and removes the confusing terminology that has characterized so many other discussions.