LIFT announces Finnish Visiting Artist Lotta Hurnanen

Photo by Renata Mohamed

THE LIAISON OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS OF TORONTO (LIFT)
ANNOUNCES FINNISH VISITING ARTIST LOTTA HURNANEN

Toronto, December 29, 2025—The Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) is pleased to announce that Finnish artist Lotta Hurnanen has joined us from Helsinki, Finland as a visiting artist from December 1, 2025 to March 1, 2026. She is the sixth resident in the residency program for alumni of the Academy of Fine Arts of the University of the Arts Helsinki. This residency, which started in 2019 as a partnership between the Academy and the Saastamoinen Foundation, is designed to provide international opportunities for alumni in the form of residency grants to prestigious residencies in New York, Maastricht, London and Toronto.

Hurnanen will be using the time and resources at LIFT to create an analogue film work that is created in collaboration with bacteria and microbes, specifically exploring the microbial world of cows and their stomachs. For her, the idea of film as a body—a living, reactive, skin-like organ that, like our own bodies, is entangled in exchanges with both human and non-human life. The concept of transcorporeality—the movement between, through, and across bodies—reveals the intricate entanglements of human and microbial worlds. In this project, she will be investigating the transcorporeal film body, focusing on the liminal spaces where microbes thrive: bodies, mouths, intestines—moist interfaces of inside and outside. She aims to cultivate these damp, slimy environments and to journey through the microscopic landscapes they create. The project is a continuation of her research about physical touch between film material and non-human others and the verdant and alive world or agriculture and farm culture.

“During my residency at LIFT, I’m excited to deepen my understanding of analogue techniques. I’m eager to discover the new directions this may open in my artistic thinking. My background in printmaking has taught me to value processes that require patience, care, and multiple chemical steps before an image can appear. That moment of emergence makes it worth the wait. Materiality and corporeality are central themes in my work, and in analogue processes these elements are present in a natural and immediate way. I also look forward to connecting with the vibrant, international community of artists that LIFT brings together.”
—Lotta Hurnanen

Lotta Hurnanen (b. 1995) is an artist and a gardener working in Helsinki, Finland. She graduated with a Master of Arts degree from the Time and Space department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki in 2024. She works in the fields of analogue filmmaking, photography, and printmaking. Her practice revolves around the theme of connecting with landscapes and the more-than-human world, delving into questions of agency, materiality, and representation. https://www.instagram.com/lottahuhhuh

Hurnanen’s visit is made possible by the Academy of Fine Arts at the University of the Arts Helsinki in partnership with the Saastamoinen Foundation.

Academy of Fine Arts of the University of the Arts Helsinki is Finland’s only university-level educational institution in its field. They lead the way in contemporary art education, while fostering the dialogue between teaching in fine arts and the international art community. They train artists and professionals of fine arts who learn their own strengths and expression methods in a world where artists take on multi-faceted roles and profiles. The Academy of Fine Arts has offered artistic education since 1848, and it is at the vanguard of artistic research. They have approximately 280 students and 15 professors.
https://www.uniarts.fi/en/units/academy-of-fine-arts

Saastamoinen Foundation is a global partner to Art and Science, supporting artists and researchers on a long-term basis and promote their networks around the world. The foundation holds one of the most notable collections of modern art in Finland, which is displayed in EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art. The Foundation is also active in other fields, strongly supporting projects aimed at Finnish youth, such as the Yrityskylä societal learning environment and peace-building programme Gutsy Go. Long-term collaboration with the University of Eastern Finland and Aalto university on the ensure the foundation’s positive impact on research. The foundation has a close relationship with Uniarts Helsinki and supports their internationalisation programme and art pedagogy research in Fine Arts.
https://saastamoinenfoundation.fi/en

The Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) is Canada’s foremost artist-run production and education organization dedicated to celebrating excellence in the moving image. LIFT exists to provide support and encouragement for independent filmmakers and artists through affordable access to production, post-production and exhibition equipment; professional and creative development; workshops and courses; commissioning and exhibitions; artist residencies; and a variety of other services.
http://lift.ca

LIFT is supported by self-generated revenue as well as the following year-round funders: the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA), the Ontario Arts Council (OAC), Ontario Arts Foundation, the Government of Ontario and the Toronto Arts Council (TAC).

As a charitable organization, LIFT graciously accepts donations via our CanadaHelps page. If you would like to support our filmmaking community, please visit https://lift.ca/donate

-30-

For additional information please see http://lift.ca or e-mail Executive Director Chris Kennedy at director@lift.ca

Monday 1 December 2025 – Sunday 1 March 2026

Non-members:
Members:

Location:
Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) 
1137 Dupont Street 
Toronto Canada