Maippi Ketola

At the Saari Residence, I will work on my project called I WANT TO SEE WHAT I LOOK LIKE. I’m going to let my beard grow. I’m going to face my bogeyman and, filled with excitement tinged with fear, I look forward to seeing what I would look like if it wasn’t a big taboo for a woman to have a beard. Through my project, I want to contribute in my own way to demolishing this taboo. And to show that it’s normal.

There is nothing medically ‘wrong’ with me that causes hair to grow on my face and body. Yet I have an actual beard and hair growing in various places. This residency gives me the opportunity to live my life without using a razor for the first time since I turned 12 and I’m very grateful for this. I look forward to meeting the other artists and enjoying a sauna together!

During my residency, I will sew a performance outfit for my Bearded Lady character. I will use it in my performances in my hometown, Hämeenlinna, after the residency. I will also paint sideshow posters at Saari using myself as a model and document the growing of my beard using photos and recordings. I will use the material for an exhibition at the MUU Helsinki Contemporary Art Centre.

Maippi Ketola is a multidisciplinary visual artist living in Hämeenlinna. She has created animations, experimental live animations, paintings, installations, performance art, comic strips, videos, textile art and dioramas, and founded a post-apocalyptic religion together with Harri Vähänissi. Maippi holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Art and Design in Helsinki (2007).

www.maippiketola.com