AR-directors Marita Muukkonen and Ivor Stodolsky, alongside AR-alumnus Pavel Semchenko, were featured on Yle TV-Nytt on Saturday 21 September. The segment sheds light on AR’s vital work in protecting artists under threat, with Muukkonen and Stodolskky offering their insights on AR’s mission to provide safe spaces for artists globally. Semchenko, who arrived in Finland through a AR-Safe Haven Helsinki residency, also shared personal insights as an artist who could no longer practise art freely in his home country.
Pavel Semchenko is a renowned visual artist and theatre director, who arrived in Finland in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Semchenko faced threats for publicly criticising Russia’s war in Ukraine, with the FSB censoring and finally closing down his co-founded AKHE theatre.
Watch the full feature on Yle Areena (from 5:53 onwards): https://areena.yle.fi/1-66870593
Full article on Svenska Yle: https://svenska.yle.fi/a/7-10063587
Check out our previous post for more on the Yle feature: https://artistsatrisk.org/2024/09/24/svenska-yle-spotlight-on-artists-at-risk-ar-and-pavel-semchenko/?lang=en