Artists at Risk (AR) is proud to highlight the recent Helsingin Sanomat feature on AR-Alumnus Uladzimir Ushakou and the play “Talvi pöydän alla” (Winter Under the Table) which he directed at @helsinki98theatre.

Premiered on 19 November, the production resonates with local audiences thanks to its director’s artistic vision and remarkable personal story, which is described in detail in the article.

After the fraudulent elections and mass anti-government protests, he was threatened by the Belarusian KGB and forced to flee first to Ukraine, where he founded the Belarusian Theater, and later to Helsinki following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ushakou was drawn to its message that “[h]ope is essential in the current state of the world,” portraying an immigrant moving “from under the table to the table” and becoming part of a community.

“Many want to return home,” says Marita Muukkonen, co-founder of Artists at Risk (AR) with Ivor Stodolsky, but have no choice but to stay longer and make their place of refuge their new home.

As the journalist Laura Kytölä notes, “It raises the question of whether we [in Finland] have understood the potential of immigrant artists.” Many thanks to Helsingin Sanomat for their support and recognition!