Jaakko Autio

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ja***on@gmail.com

About

Hello, I’m Jaakko Autio (b. 1981), a Finnish sound artist working in the field of contemporary art. My works have been presented in solo and group exhibitions as well as festivals in Finland and abroad. My perception of reality and identity is twofold. I spent my childhood in Senegal, from where we moved to Ylivieska, Finland when I was 11 years old. Composing music and soundscapes has been my window to a broader reality. My works are interpersonal and deal with human belonging in the world. They shake assumptions of otherness in a gentle way and aim to dismantle invisible boundaries between us. They provide spaces for diverse stories, perspectives, and geopolitical backgrounds. At their core is the simultaneity of diverse and shared humanity. My artistic practice is guided by the philosophy of radical empathy. I aim to create safe and inclusive spaces where the individual is always approached with a gentle gaze. Basic security is essential for the experience of participation and the assimilation of new understanding. The experience of being left out traumatizes individuals, communities, and entire nations. Depriving participation and weaponizing interdependence not only cause immense human suffering but also threaten peace and the structures that support life. Therefore, it is important for me to follow the principle of beneficence, an ethical guideline that dictates interpreting others as positively as possible unless proven otherwise. This creates the framework for artistic peace work, or “works of peace,” as I call my works that facilitate mutual understanding. Before becoming a sound artist, I worked for 15 years as a sound designer and composer in theater. Working in the theater field gave me an understanding of live audience relationships, which still serves as the foundation for the presentation of sound art. I studied film sound design at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences (2003–2008) and obtained a master’s degree from the Theatre Academy Helsinki in the Department of Sound Design (Uniarts, 2010–2013).