Wednesday 9.12.2020 

Launch of a new art journal – Shy Plumber: A journal of art and anti-art
Hosts: Ilya Orlov, Doctoral student, Academy of Fine Arts, Uniarts Helsinki and Matthew Cowan, Doctoral student, Academy of Fine Arts, Uniarts Helsinki

Language: English

Program online

At Research Days, Ilya Orlov and Matthew Cowan will present Shy Plumber, a Journal of Art and Anti-Art (ISSN 2736-8203), a new independent art periodical they invented during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Shy Plumber is focused on conceptual art today in its varied forms. It looks at the questions concerning philosophy of art, with a particular interest in new concepts and definitions of art and its functions. Along with texts in art theory, Shy Plumber publishes artworks, or perhaps it would be better to say, “artistic ideas, realised in the graphic form”, considering them a “fully fledged analogue of showing it at a gallery or museum exhibition”. The introduction to the first issue clearly places the journal on the side of the artist, and most, if not all contributors to the journal are indeed artists.

During the Research Days launch, co-editors of the journal Ilya Orlov and Matthew Cowan will talk about the general idea and reasons behind establishing the periodical. They will also introduce the contributors of the first and the second issues, share plans for future publications, and answer readers’ questions.

The journal will be issued 6 times a year and spread for free via pdf.
Read more about Shy Plumber journal

Program 9.12.2020 
Program online
Please note that the times given in the schedules are in Finnish time (Finland). 

11.30–12:00 Shy Plumber: Launch of journal, Ilya Orlov and Matthew Cowan 

Matthew Cowan (1974) is an artist based in Berlin, working in the realm of folklore, its conception in art and museum spaces. He is currently working on a doctoral thesis at the Academy of Fine Art, Uniarts Helsinki. 

Ilya Orlov (1973) is a conceptual artist based in Helsinki. Currently, Orlov is working on the doctoral thesis in art theory Artwork: Its Definition, Concept, and Subject at the Academy of Fine Art, Uniarts Helsinki.