Circus Maximus

In this letter, you'll find a preview of the 2024 program as well as information regarding the annual members' meeting

2024 PROGRAM

Each day hides a grain of Sunday is the thread of Circus Maximus' 2024 programme. It expresses a longing for simplicity and affection, informing how we hope to create and experience art together.

Last Spring, Circus Maximus invited me to be their curator, which implies putting the programme together but also figuring out, collectively, what curating can be like within the organisation. We had three weeks to land the programme and agreed to co-produce four projects through direct invitation. I went through previously submitted proposals and made decisions considering Circus Maximus' interest in creating continuums and hosting a diversity of voices and ideas. Guided by my intuition, I reached an exciting and generous group of artists with whom I keep learning about curating. This winter, we've been testing our vision, discovering blind spots, adjusting, and breaking patterns.

Our programme will take place in the autumn and features Helsinki-based artists Maya Oliva, Atte Kantonen, Felipe Vasconez, Lotta Suomi, Heli Keskikallio, and Helmi Kajaste. They've been pondering my proposal and making it their own. Maya and Atte are creating a map of sounds, gestures and memories, inviting us to experience home as a mosaic of fragments that can emerge anywhere. Felipe is taking us inside a labyrinth to play and encounter his drawings and paintings. Lotta and Heli are making a collage of bodily experiences of heat we'll get to explore with all our senses. Helmi is working on a lecture performance we'll enjoy by the window of a café.

More than a common thread between artworks, Each day hides a grain of Sunday evokes situations and atmospheres for welcoming audiences into each artist's universe. When I think of this sentence –which I read years ago in a book by Stavros Stavrides– I connect with a sense of possibility, the kind that hides in mundane gestures and spontaneous encounters. I sense thresholds, fleeting moments during which we can open up to a stranger, a bird, or an art piece. Each day hides a grain of Sunday is our attempt to hold space for each other, art, and the unexpected with curiosity and tenderness.

At this stage, we're actively looking for ways to support each project, build partnerships, and understand what kind of co-producer we can be. We'll soon publish more details about the programme, so stay tuned! Until then, we wish you a rejuvenating spring.

With warmth, Daniela Pascual Esparza

ANNUAL MEETING

The annual meeting of Circus Maximus Association will be held on April 15th from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM in a hybrid format. Members can participate in the meeting either in person at Eskus - Center for Performance Art or via Zoom. More information about the meeting will be provided soon in the meeting invitations.