Anna Karima Wane, selected for the Jan van Eyck Academie residency, builds community through art

Wane arrived in Finland by chance but chose to stay deliberately.

“I didn’t move to Finland – I moved away from Dakar,” Wane says with a laugh.

“I had been back home [in Dakar, Senegal] for a few years, working on different projects and I wanted to work on my own stuff and develop my practice. KuvA [the Academy of Fine Arts] was the first school I applied to. When I received the decision on my admittance, I thought ’I guess I’m going to Finland!’”

Wane had previously completed her undergraduate studies at Yale in the United States. Though academically prestigious, her experience was complicated by experiences of racism and a sense of not belonging. In Yale, she changed her major from film studies to fine arts. When asked to compare Yale and the Academy of Fine Arts Helsinki, she says one of the differences is cultural. In the US, there is a culture of sharing and receiving feedback as well as protesting. The Finnish, in turn, can be nonconfrontational to a fault – which can lead to issues being left unaddressed.

”Yale is huge, whereas KuvA is small, more intimate. Biggest difference is the conversation culture. The culture of giving feedback, complaining and protesting. Those things are very different in these spaces.”

“In the US, you are always made aware of your difference, of being ‘other.’  Here [in Finland] people want to say that we’re all the same, which is not true. Just at the very basic level, moving to this country was not easy. There was not a lot of support in terms of how we were welcomed as international students. We basically had to crowdsource the information between international students because nobody told you things like ’you need this to get a bank account, you need an ID’, things like that.”

Wane sees that, already, positive change has taken place. Describing herself as outspoken, she has actively contributed to improving the situation of international students at the Academy of Fine Arts.

“I feel like already in the two years since my peers and I have been here things have changed for international students.”

”There’s a lot of work to do”

The residency selection committee was impressed by Wane’s thought-provoking work, her global outlook, and her collaborative, community-based approach. The artist has worked extensively within the art scene in Senegal and emphasises the importance of understanding how different contexts shape notions of community.

Two years in Finland have also brought positive experiences.

“I’ve had good conversations and found a sense of community. I went home in November last year, and everyone asked why I would go back to Finland. I said I actually feel like I want to be there, and I’m choosing to be here, which I think is very important.”

Currently, Wane is working at the Helsinki International Artist Programme as a Residency Assistant as well as working on her own projects such as teaching at Art School Maa.

“There’s a lot of work to do. And I’m one of those people who think ‘Okay, let’s go.’”

Saastamoinen Foundation residency artists of 2025

In 2025, Uniarts Helsinki alumni Anna Karima Wane, Lotta Hurnanen, and Priss Niinikoski were awarded Saastamoinen Foundation residencies in internationally renowned programmes. Each artist brings a distinct perspective to their practice, spanning community-based art, experimental film, and interdisciplinary research across textiles, sound, and technology. In a three-part interview series, these artists reflect on their journeys, the ideas driving their work, and what they hope to explore during their upcoming residencies.