Mari Keski-Korsu (D.A.) is an artistic researcher who explores micro-macro level manifestations of the ecological polycrisis. The focus of her doctoral thesis titled ‘Walks and steams: Artistic approaches to develop more-than-human ritualisation in polycrisis‘ in Aalto University, Department of Art and Media, was creating more-than-human ritualisations in the polycrisis, and especially with the ancient microbes of the permafrost thaw. Her postdoctoral research (2026-2028) addresses Rights of Nature; art’s role in more-than-human decision making and heritage. Her expertise is in postdisciplinary artistic research with participatory methodologies such as walk-with and sensory ethnography. Her work evolves in collaborative research and art projects focusing on e.g., more-than-human values related to Arctic environment in Changing Perspectives (2020–2024, Access Abisko), contemporary more-than-human heritage in Coal Forest Ambassador (2024) and multispecies empathy in Interfaces for Empathy (2016–2018). In 2025, she initiated More than Person River as a part of European Union Horizon project VOICE which is using an artist-driven approach and Art-Technology-Society Interactions to bring people together to solve environmental problems. She was a member of rAt research group in Aalto University during her doctoral research, and currently she is a member of With the River – The Collective (2023 & 2025/26).
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. Notable residencies are Frontiers in Retreat (2013 – 2018), Northern Network for Performing Arts (2019) and Kone Foundation’s Saari Invited Artist Programme (2023). She is a specialist in Baltic Finnic steam bathing ceremonies.
Current research activities can be found here:
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.