IHME Contemporary Art Festival (between 2009-2018), since year 2019 known as IHME Helsinki is a contemporary art organization maintained by Pro Arte Foundation Finland, and supported by Kone Foundation, Saastamoinen Foundation and Abakanowicz Arts and Culture Charitable Foundation (until 2025). Between years 2009 and 2018 the festival included a public work of art, a varied programme of events around the artwork, and educational art projects. IHME Project, commissioned by the Festival, was realised in the public realm. A varied Festival programme ranging from artist talks to film screenings opened the IHME Project for discussion and debate and was free to attend. IHME also offered an art education programme, IHME School, with various activities. The word "ihme" means a wonder or a miracle in Finnish.
In 2019 the contemporary art festival changed its name as IHME Helsinki (also IHME) and re-organized its activities to become an organization that situates its activities in a dialogue between art, science and climate work. IHME’s core activity is still the annual staging of a new artwork, together with an artist and Finnish and foreign partners, in public space in Finland and abroad. IHME’s goal is to promote eco-social education, a sustainable, democratic society, and a good life on many levels. Due to the changes in operation the festival event has been abandoned and speaking programs and events are now organized all year round.
Pro Arte Foundation Finland seeks to promote art as a resource for democratic society, and as an important part of human life and everyday existence. The Foundation's aim is to enhance the status and visibility of visual art, to improve the relationship between visual art and the public, and to make it more accessible. The Foundation's work is international in scope and directed at anyone interested in culture. The advisory board of IHME invites the artist to conceive the project, and also plans the other programme. Until year 2019 the advisory board of the foundation was: :fi:Tuula Arkio (chair), :fi:Leevi Haapala, Hanna Johansson, Paula Toppila, and Timo Valjakka. The current advisory board includes Ute Meta Bauer, Hanna Guttorm, Antti Majava and Paula Toppila as the chair of the board.
IHME Helsinki Commission
Each year, Pro Arte Foundation Finland invites an internationally recognized visual artist or group of artists to make a temporary work of art in public space. The way the IHME Helsinki Commission is to be carried out, along with its form and location, are jointly determined by the Foundation and the selected artist. The admission of the commissioned art work is always free of charge and open to all.
IHME Festival
A varied Festival programme aimed to increase interest in the visual arts and to deepen the public's relationship to it. The programme ranged from talks related to the IHME Project and other topical issues to film screenings and other types of public programming including music and workshops, varying from year to year. Speakers contributing to the programme of talks included artists, also including the Festival artist, as well as academics and professionals from different fields.
IHME Publications
IHME publications documented the events of the annual festival as a digital online publication.
IHME School
IHME School consisted of educational art projects and workshops. The Festival collaborated with schools and universities, as well as The City of Helsinki Youth Division, and produced programmes for different target groups to make contemporary art more accessible.
History
IHME Helsinki Commission 2022
IHME Commission 2022 was an online course created by Indian artist . A ten week long online course Learning from Doubt is based on and emerges from the art installation and exhibition, The Sovereign Forest, by Kanwar. The Sovereign Forest, is an art project that has been ongoing since 2009. It has been evolving, expanding and experimenting with different forms and presentations, and has been made in collaboration with Samadrusti/Sudhir Pattnaik and Sherna Dastur. Samadrusti is a fortnightly Odia political and social news magazine, Sudhir Pattnaik is the editor of Samadrusti and a social activist. Sherna Dastur is a graphic designer and filmmaker based in Delhi. The online course was free of charge and open for all but needed registration. The course happened between 15 February and 3 May 2022.