Mari Keski-Korsu is an artistic researcher, on the finishing line of Doctor of Arts degree at Aalto University’s School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Department of Art and Media, supervised by Prof. Laura Beloff and a member of rAt research group. Mari’s focus is on more-than-human ritualisations in the polycrisis in the Arctic and especially in the ancient microbes of the permafrost thaw. Her expertise is in posthumanist artistic research with participatory and sensory research, performance and walking methodologies. The work evolves in interdisciplinary and collaborative research projects focusing on e.g., more-than-human values related to Arctic environment in Changing Perspectives (2020–2024, Abisko Scientific Research Station), contemporary more-than-human heritage in Coal Forest Ambassador (2024) and With the River (2023 & 2025–2026) and multispecies empathy in Interfaces for Empathy (2016–2018). She is currently working on Rights of Nature related research with project More than Person River as a part of VOICE (EU Horizon).
Her works have been exhibited in festivals, outskirts, galleries and museums such as Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art (2005), ANTI Contemporary Art Festival (2013), nGbK (2015), Glasgow Centre for Contemporary Art (2017) and Photo North (2024) to name a few. She is a specialist in Baltic Finnic steam bathing ceremonies.
Current research activities can be found here:
ACRIS ->>
Orcid ->>
ResearchGate ->>
Some articles online:
‘Understanding the language of alpacas and micro-organisms – Interview with Mari Keski-Korsu‘ by Essi Syrén
‘Finding ‘skinship’ with trees‘ by Regine Debatty (we-make-money-not-art blog)
‘FiR Artist Interviews: Mari Keski-Korsu – Humanity, empathy and alpacas‘ by Tessa Aarniosuo (HIAP)
Photo by Jussi Virkkumaa / Saari Invited Artist Programme, 2023.