Recent Finnish elections saw gains for the Left Alliance — and losses for the right-wing populist Finns Party. Leftist meme account admin Alma Tuuva (on Instagram: @pikakahvimemegirl) was among the newly elected councilors. These Finnish-language memes use familiar Insta-influencer and political meme aesthetics to address themes around social and economic equality, cultural funding, and trans issues.

Left meme accounts are common enough. What’s novel is converting them to concrete political currency as @pikakahvimemegirl has. It’s long been argued “the Left can’t meme” (a phrase coming from the US 2016 election campaign, where right-wing extremism attracted young male voters while the Left failed to find a response).

In an interview for Jacobin, Mike Watson asked Tuuva and her campaign manager, the artist Jenna Jauhiainen, what they think explains her success.

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Contributors

Alma Tuuva is an internet artist, activist, and politician whose goal is to advance an anti-capitalist worldview and discourse on poverty in Finland.

Jenna Jauhiainen is a postdisciplinary artist, writer, and researcher who also works in communications as a strategist specializing in public relations.

Mike Watson is a media and art theorist and educator, born in the United Kingdom and based in Finland. His latest book is Hungry Ghosts in the Machine: Digital Capitalism and the Search for Self.

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