HIAP Hosts EMMA & Saastamoinen New Curatorial Fellow Shohreh Shakoory

EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art and Saastamoinen Foundation are excited to announce the selection of Berlin-based curator and researcher Shohreh Shakoory as the first recipient of the EMMA-Saastamoinen Curatorial Fellowship. Starting from 15 September, for a period of six months, Shakoory will be working at EMMA and conducting independent research of Saastamoinen Foundation Art Collection, one of Finland’s most significant collections of modern and contemporary art.

EMMA-Saastamoinen Curatorial Fellowship is a newly established research programme aimed at international curators. Over the course of three years the museum and the foundation will annually invite a curator to Finland for a residency, selected through an open call. Shohreh Shakoory was selected from over 170 applications around the world. Her application stood out for its research-driven approach and genuine interest in the museum’s collections.

“I am thrilled to begin this new chapter in Finland, joining the EMMA team and diving into the
extensive art collection of Saastamoinen Foundation,” Shakoory enthuses. “Through my research, I explore how art reflects cosmological worldviews leading to political implication which shape our understanding of the present and possible futures. I am especially interested in developing interdisciplinary approaches to exhibition-making that connect philosophy, anthropology, science, and art history.”

The collaboration aims to build international networks, foster exchange of curatorial perspectives, and encourage new research. During the fellowship Shakoory will be working in EMMA’s exhibitions and collections teams. The research period will culminate in an article based on Shakoory’s research into Saastamoinen Foundation Art Collection. During her stay in Finland, Shakoory will be hosted at HIAP –Helsinki International Artist Programme Residency in Suomenlinna, as part of a partnership supporting the fellowship’s residency structure.