An artist whose work will be shown at Lux Helsinki 2014, Jari Haanperä, and his Suomesta Galleria in Berlin received the Finland Prize on Monday, 16 December 2013. The Prize is awarded in recognition of a significant career in arts, an exceptional artistic achievement, or a promising breakthrough.
FYR, an installation comprising more than two hundred storm lanterns and light bulbs, will be set up in the National Museum's courtyard. His video montage called Maailman valo, will be included in the light art exhibition Lux IN in the 'Merikaapelihalli' of the Cable Factory. In this video montage, the lights of different cities intertwine to form a single growing network of lights on the planet.
The prize was presented by the Minister of Culture and Sport Paavo Arhinmäki, and the grounds for selecting Haanperä were as follows: "Haanperä is a master at bringing out wonders created by things that appear simple on the surface."
