Tuula Heiniä, from the series "Vodun-voodoo"
Grand-Popo is a small town on the Atlantic coast of Benin, in West Africa. The town consists mainly of one road that runs through a settlement of small houses, street kiosks, craftsmen’s workshops and restaurants. Roughly ten years ago, Finnish writer Juha Vakkuri fell in love with the town’s atmosphere, and established the Finnish-African cultural centre Villa Karo, in an old colonial villa. Over the past 10 years, Villa Karo has served as a residence for almost 300 Finnish artists, who have found different ways to collaborate with the local cultures and people, be it drum musicians or local textile artisans. Kunsthalle Helsinki now celebrates the anniversary with an extensive exhibition Good Morning Africa, exploring the impact of the residence and life in Benin on Finnish residency artists and their work.