Timo Andersson (b.1989) takes the viewer on an expedition into a layered cosmos of forms and surfaces. He immerses us in a tension-fraught abstract world where traces, colors and forms fall apart and run together. Using polyester and other synthetic fabrics as his canvas, Andersson is intrigued by their geometrical, knotted structure: an image painted on a mesh fabric always looks unreal.
PVC and other solid materials add form and substance to the paintings, creating an intact surface upon which Andersson applies the paint. A signature feature of his process is the smooth intermeshing of the materials, colors, form, gestures and outer appearance of the painting. He paints in a continuum that lends itself to creative variation and the testing of boundaries. The pieces are more graphic than his earlier work, finding a new equilibrium between drawing and materiality.
Andersson is forever experimenting with new visual strategies in his art, whether focusing on mesh fabrics, a particular color, or a three-dimensional object disguised beneath a mass of acrylic. Each detail forms part of a toolkit or a particular strategic approach that becomes a building block for his forthcoming works.
A selection of sculptures is also featured in the exhibition. In addition to allowing the artist to explore the concept of representationalism, the sculptures also have a highly personal dimension. The three-dimensional pieces anchor his paintings in the here-and-now world, adding new layers to their interpretational horizon.
Andersson studied at the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts and his work is represented in the Academy’s collection, the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art and various private collections.