G.A.P BOARD 2023 – 2025

 

Chairperson: Alexandr Foy
Key competences: socio-economic integration, governing in non-profit sector, media & event production, inclusive education.

Main values: human rights, equality, social inclusion.

Governing of non-profit organizations.

Co-founder and current chairman of Svenska.fi association of foreigners who integrate in Swedish language in Finland.

Board member of Tigern rf – a Swedish speaking cultural association, publisher of Ny Tid magazine.

Co-founder, board member and main producer of Tochka.fi – russian-speaking lifestlyle media and event-agency based in Helsinki.

Media & event production:

Founder of Oi!Family records(2008-2012), record label from Saint-Petersburg, focusing on protest music in genres punk-rock, ska, hardcore and rap. During four years of existance organized around 100 gigs, released 6 EPs.

Experience in politics:

Member of education commitee, city of Porvoo (2021 – up to today)
Member of social and healthcare commitee, city of Porvoo (2020-2021)
Member of integration commitee(Swedish national party in Finland (2019-2021)

Awards:

Folktinget förtjänsmedalj (2020)
Svenska Dagen priset (2018)
Bojan-Sonntag Priset (2015).

www.svenska.fi ┃ www.linkedin.com ┃ www.instagram.com ┃ alexandr.foy(at)globeartpoint.fi

Vice-chairperson: Tatiana Solovieva
Tatiana Solovieva is a humanist, an art manager, event producer and diversity agent actively involved in multicultural actions, migrant inclusion and cultural equity. Former flamenco performer, teacher and entrepreneur she has been living and working between St.Petersburg, Helsinki, London and Cádiz for two decades before moving to Helsinki in 2011.

She is particularly interested in projects aimed at developing a new, innovative and creative approach to promote diversity and intercultural dialogue as well as developing strategic collaboration between local cultural institutions and different immigrant associations.

Tatiana is an active member of Catalysti The association of transcultural artists ry. As an event and project producer she promotes support to the artists and helps them to achieve their dreams. Last year Tatiana was involved in the project Culture kids, creating the communication channels with the language minority communities of Helsinki city.

Areas of expertise: contemporary art and cultural event production, art management, flamenco, art exchange, community and public engagement, multilingualism; peer support for parents of children with heart disabilities.

www.kulttuuriakaikille.fi ┃tatianaranja(at)gmail.com

Board Member: Bekim Hasaj
Bekim is a transdisciplinary artist with an incisive background in painting. Graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Painting, Visual Arts at Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan, in 2014. Since 2017, he has been working actively in Finland as a freelance artist, and together with his partner Valentina Gelain founded BlackBoxGenesis art space, developing different professional profiles as a producer, curator, and mostly an artist with a particular focus on Public Art, and more specifically on Mural paintings. He is also an active cultural worker based in Malax, Ostrobothnia, and a board member for ‘Art in Malakta’ rf.

www.blackboxgenesis.com ┃ www.facebook.com ┃ www.instagram.com ┃ www.youtube.com ┃ bekimhasaj12(at)gmail.com

Board Member: Yvapurü Samaniego Bonnin
Yvapurü is a visual artist working in a range of mixed media. He has been trained between Asunción, Barcelona, New York & Helsinki, exhibiting since 1996. Has studied in Arts in Paraguay, and at the New York Institute of Photography, USA.

His expressive versatility unfolds as a draftsman, painter, sculptor, photographer and performer. He has a long working experience in interior and furniture design. In 2015 he was selected to participate at the XX Kuvataideviikot – International Contemporary Fair of Art in Finland, where the Pekilo Art Museum added one of his art-works to their private collection. His interest in art education brought him to work in Annantalo Art Centre as an art teacher the year 2016, the same summer he was also working there as an artist in residency.

Yvapurü has created several artistic projects and workshops for Design District Helsinki, Swedish Culture Institute, Goethe Zentrum, Ihana Helsinki Festival, Kolibrí Festivaali and Latin American Film Festival. He has exhibited in individual and collective exhibitions in Austria, France, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Nepal, Paraguay, Spain, UK and in the United States. He is a member of the Council of Global Art Point, & Kulttuurikeskus Ninho, and collaborates with many cultural associations to promote the Latin American Arts and Literature in the Nordic countries. Lives and works in Helsinki, Finland.

www.yvapuru.com ┃ www.facebook.com ┃ www.instagram.com ┃ www.pehmeavandalismi.com ┃ yvapuru.samaniego(at)gmail.com

Board Member: Cristian Medel
Cristian Medel (Chile) is a Cinematographer and a Visual Artist with 20 years of experience in the art and audiovisual field. He is a creative storyteller based in Helsinki. He studied Cinematography and post production throughout the years in Chile, Argentina and Spain, always immersing himself in new technologies. As a teacher himself he has been teaching in Universidad de las Americas and Helsingin Työväenopisto.

In his career he has always been combining artistic and commercial worlds. After moving to Helsinki in 2014 his experience varies from educational videos for the University of Helsinki, to participating in a multi art show in Kiasma Museum. In his personal artwork themes such as inclusivity and racism as well as nature in all its forms are often present.

www.cristianmedel.com ┃ www.facebook.com ┃ www.instagram.com ┃ cristianmedelgo(at)gmail.com

Board Member: Saskia Signori
Saskia Signori is a versatile arts professional with experience working in museums and institutions in Finland and abroad. Her own search for creative research in relation to diverse cultures and transcultural knowledge has led her to be part of the creation of the Arcaica Association, from which she promotes cultural exchange by creating circuits of arts residencies connecting artists and cultural professionals internationally in collaborative projects.

Saskia is also an art conservator and now works as a registrar in the National Finnish Glass Museum in the management of local and international exhibitions.

www.koyne.org ┃ www.instagram.com ┃ saskiasignori(at)gmail.com

Vice-board Member: Emmi Komlosi
Emmi Komlosi holds a Master’s Degree in Theatre Pedagogy and is currently working in the Adult Education Center of Helsinki City. She has specialized in applied forms of theatre and likes to bring theatre and drama to people who are not so likely to seek them by their own initiative.

www.culturecurrent.org ┃ emmi.komlosi(at)gmail.com

Vice-board Member: Julia Jing Guo

Julia Jing GUO is an international art project producer since 2011.
Project Manager and Board member in TCG Nordica international art center (Kunming, China).
Hyllie Park Folkhögskola China Course partner (Sweden – China)
Arepagos Foundation China partner (Norway, Denmark – China)
Café Cardemumma Owner (Helsinki, Finland)

During the working period, Julia Jing GUO initiated and organized more than hundreds of art dialogues, exhibitions, and activities in different cultural contexts on TCG Nordica’s platform. “Stimulating Reflection on Human Worth Expressed as Various Art Forms” is the vision.

TCG Nordica art center was established in 1999s.China. Founded by two ladies from China (Wu Yue Rong) and Sweden (Anna Mellergard). T is Tomas Transtromer (Swedish Poet, Nobel Prize in Literature 2011, He gives his name to TCG Nordica). C is Culture and Coffee. G is Gallery. Nordica is Nordic and China. Throughout 23 years of good operation, TCG has established itself as one of the most outstanding cultural “bridge” between the Nordic countries and China. In the year of 2017, one of the founders WuYueRong awarded The Medal of Royal Order of the Polar Star (Nordstjärneorden) by The King of Sweden, The Majesty Carl XVI Gustaf. TCG Nordica is listed as a faithful and trustworthy partner in China to the Embassies of Nordica countries. As a board member in TCG, Julia Jing GUO has always been committed to promoting multicultural communication and mutual understanding, bringing artists chances to work with another culture, challenged by crossover their professional art borders for stimulating new heights of artistic expression. Julia believes those experiences could be enriched artists’ art language.

Julia Jing GUO move to Finland in 2022 and own a café in Helsinki. As the British linguist Samuel Johnson said, a coffee shop is not just a place to sell coffee, but also an idea, a way of life, a social occasion, and a philosophy. Julia is willing to open the café as an art space, free to apply for small art events. at the same time willing to serve as a bridge to Asia, hoping to bring more arts communication with people from different cultural backgrounds.

www.facebook.com ┃ www.instagram.com ┃ www.tcgnordica.com ┃ Julia624jing@gmail.com