Media Arts

Media art has established itself in Finland in just a few decades. At the same time it has expanded from video art to other electronic media. The leading media arts institutions in Finland, Muu ry and AV-arkki, were established already in the late 1980s.

Art activities that can be classified as media art take place in both the fields of the performing arts and the visual arts. Media artists create both music videos and video projections for theatre and dance performances. Video art and experimental cinema have developed alongside each other.

Approximately 350 actors in the field of the media arts are currently active in Finland, of whom around a quarter are owners or partners of production companies. Instead of their actual artworks, they sell the user rights to their art and provide museums, for example, with copies of their art.

The Arts Council of Finland and the National Council for Photographic Art support the work of media artists and the public display of their art. Public funds are allocated to support, for example, media art festivals and other related events. 

Each year the Centre for the Promotion of Audiovisual Culture (AVEK) and the Centre for the Promotion of Visual Art (VISEK) allocate approximately 350,000 euros to media artists. Private copying fees are used to compensate artists for allowing consumers to copy their works for private use.