The annual cultural event ABOAGORA will be organised in Turku on September 10–12. The program includes a speech by Natalia Djandjgava, Country Director of the Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation, CMI. The pre-event will feature a presentation on Ukraine's recent history through popular music.
Turku's own art and science event, ABOAGORA, will be held at the Sibelius Museum for the 15th time.
This year's theme, Venus – Bringer of Peace, is part of the seven-part The Planets series that began last year. The theme is based on the orchestral suite of the same name by the composer Gustav Holst (1874-1934). The Planets will continue until 2030.
ABOAGORA is organized by the University of Turku, Åbo Akademi University, Turku University of Applied Sciences Arts Academy, Åbo Akademi Foundation, and Turku University Foundation.
ABOAGORA - Between Arts and Sciences is a meeting place for science and art, an enabler of cross-disciplinary collaboration and a space for creativity. Its annual activities consist of an international three-day main event ABOAGORA organised at the Sibelius Museum in Turku, a Research Retreat and open Avant Aboagora pre-events.
ABOAGORA is based on the idea that solving complex problems requires not only cooperation between different disciplines, but also the combination of scientific and artistic perspectives.
– Peace can awaken and carry with it painful and difficult feelings – such as loss, longing, and bitterness. At the same time, we will also look ahead, hoping for a better world and believing in the future, says Liisa Lalu, coordinator of Aboagora and project researcher at the University of Turku.
The international main event will feature speakers such as former Foreign Minister and Docent of Political History at the University of Helsinki, Erkki Tuomioja, award-winning children's book illustrator and author, Linda Bondestam, and Natalia Djandjgava, Country Director of the Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation, CMI.
On Saturday, 30 August, Avant Aboagora will get you you in the right mood. Historian and musician Pertti Grönholm will introduce Ukraine's recent history through popular music. The event, which is open to everyone, is organized in collaboration with the Turku Music Festival as part of the Ukrainian Mixtape final concert.
The mythology of femininity and Sámi art
Venus, the Bringer of Peace, continues Aboagora's The Planets theme season after the warlike Mars.
On Wednesday, 10 September, the only planet named after a woman inspires performers to reflect on various forms of femininity and sensuality. Artist and researcher Ida-Marie Corell's audiovisual performance Veni Vidi Voice explores the mythology of goddesses and femininity.
The speeches, panel discussions, and performances on Thursday and Friday will address different forms of peace and the possibilities for achieving it. In his keynote speech on Thursday afternoon, Erkki Tuomioja will reflect on the use of history and the role of historians in war and peace. This, as well as all the AGORA keynote sessions are free and open to all.
The Thursday evening culminates at Turku Cathedral. The Spirit Land/Vuoinnalaš Eanadat performance, which combines textile art, music, and theology, is also open to the public. After the performance, a dialogue session at the Sibelius Museum will outline reconciliation between the Sámi and the Nordic peoples.
Peaceful Venus is both ambiguous and more hopeful than last year's theme. The keynote speaker on the last day of the event, Friday, CMI's Natalia Djandjgava, will guide the audience on the path to concrete peace work.
The full programme for the Venus, the Bringer of Peace event can be found on the ABOAGORA website. Registration for the event is extended until September 4th!
In 2025, Aboagora is supported by the Kone Foundation, the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, The Swedish Cultural Foundation, the Federation of Finnish Learned Societies, the William Thurings stiftelse, and the Otto A. Malm Foundation.
