Based in Seinäjoki, Satu Kankaanpää is a sign language poet, a cultural management student, and the chairperson of the Finnish Association of Deaf Artists (Kuurojen Taiteilijakilta ry). Since 2019, she has performed at various poetry and cultural events, refining her expression under the guidance of renowned Finnish and international Deaf poets and Visual Vernacular artists. Visual Vernacular is an incredibly visual art form originating from the Deaf world. In 2024, Kankaanpää was awarded the grand prize for her work Kapinaruno (Rebellion Poem) at the Deaf Cultural Days in Helsinki, and she has been featured on the Yle Radio program Tämän runon haluaisin kuulla. Her work has been published in the Sign Language Library, and her poem Kapinaruno II is featured in the Kapinaruno X publication (Friends of the Labour Movement, 2025).
At the festival, Kankaanpää unleashes the full power of Finnish Sign Language, along with its visual and physical expression, rhythm, and expressiveness. She wishes to bring this “gem of poetry” to a wider audience. Kankaanpää’s captivating style has evoked strong reactions in viewers, and her performances have been described as follows: “I am absolutely astonished,” “I have never seen anything like this before,” and “I was immersed in your poem, carried away by its rhythm.”
Curators’ comments: ”Kankaanpää’s performance is something you absolutely must experience live. The strong visual and physical element brought by sign language is absolutely essential and opens up truly fascinating performative layers to the poetry.”
Read more: Kankaanpää’s poems at the Finnish Sign Language Library