Finland's largest art museum, the Espoo Museum of Modern Art (Emma), has launched a radical new artist support model under director Krist Gruijthuijsen. The program commits to four artists—P. Staff, Tarik Kiswanson, Jenna Sutela, and Eglė Budvytytė—over several years, providing financial backing through acquisitions, production support, a part-time stipend, and health insurance. It will culminate in mid-career survey exhibitions in 2029 and 2030, which the museum plans to tour with partner institutions. Three of the artists are currently showing at the Venice Biennale with Emma's support.
The initiative matters because it challenges the prevailing institutional timidity and risk-averse programming that Gruijthuijsen says has led to "dull museums." By offering sustained, holistic support rather than short-term exhibition fees, the model addresses the financial precarity many mid-career artists face despite critical recognition. It reimagines the museum's role as a support system for the artist as a person, not just for the artwork, and responds to a market that has become increasingly conservative and globalized, forcing artists to travel constantly without opportunities to take risks.