ror (Revolutions on Request)
ROR is a Helsinki based artist collective. Its members, Klaus Nyqvist (b. 1976), Karoliina Taipale (b. 1973), Panu Puolakka (b. 1972) and Jiri Geller (b. 1970) have since 1998 hosted a countless number of guest artists in their shows. The works of its members and guests represent a variety of arts like knitting, electronic music, motorcycle design, textual publications, technological inventions and other visual arts.
ROR may as well be called a curator collective, but it doesn't curate exhibitions in the professionalist, art historical and explaining way which dominates curatorship in current art, but more in the spirit of traditional avant-garde groups, circus and rock'n'roll spectacles.
Even if there is an atmosphere of artistic utopia in every ROR show, the group is nihilist towards all kinds of explicit ideologies so typical for traditional avant-garde and contemporary artist collectives. ROR is totally indifferent to the impact of its artistic revolution outside of ROR, as ROR itself is already a whole world. The same applies for scientific, political, feminist, psychedelic and technological revolt.
ROR is an artistic dynamo giving the kicks and an aesthetic DNA to the life of its flourishing revolutionaries, members and affiliates. It adds to life.
ROR generates, through collective daydreaming and psychosis visual, auditive and textual gastronomy, manifestations of pure will to create, products of its insatiable urge for perfect fetish objects suitable for adoration, presented in holistic group shows, finally boosted up as the force field of ROR hits the playground of the artworld.
Max Ryynänen
Institute for Art Research / Helsinki
Visiting researcher at ROR
ROR is represented in Civic Matters by Karoliina Taipale
I’m a 32 years old visual artist, exhibition designer and part-time graphic designer. I live and work in Helsinki, Finland. Since 1997 I have been working as a member of ROR, an artist collective, which has produced, designed and organized several art exhibitions, publications and run a one-year gallery project in Helsinki 2003–2004. At the moment I am also organizing and participating a group exhibition for female artists with an artist collective Eva Brownies.
My artistic work is based on small objects. I do digitally manipulated collages with optical pvc-board, paintings, small sculptures and objects with ready-made materials.