Viewing Room Main Site

Kaarina Kaikkonen

Growing the Sun

Helsinki

August 18 – September 10, 2017

Kaarina Kaikkonen
Kaarina Kaikkonen
Voimanpesä / Powerhouse, 2017
Mixed media
160h x 118w cm / 62.99 x 46.46 inches
KKAI_003
Kaarina Kaikkonen
Kaarina Kaikkonen
Jospa voisin lintujen lailla / If I Could, Like The Birds, 2017
Mixed media
106h x 220w x 25d cm / 41.73 x 86.61 x 9.84 inches
KKAI_002
Kaarina Kaikkonen
Kaarina Kaikkonen
Hänen verkkonsa ovat viritetyt / He Has Prepared His Nets, 2017
Mixed media
170h x 157w x 27d cm / 66.93 x 61.81 x 10.63 inches
KKAI_007
Kaarina Kaikkonen

Kaarina Kaikkonen
Yritin järjestää elämääni / I Tried To Organize My Life, 2017
Mixed media
161h x 201w x 21d cm / 63.39 x 79.13 x 8.27 inches
KKAI_006
 

Kaarina Kaikkonen
Kaarina Kaikkonen
Odotan uutta kevättä / I'm Waiting For A New Spring, 2017
Mixed media
163h x 52w x 16d cm / 64.17 x 20.47 x 6.30 inches
KKAI_008
Kaarina Kaikkonen
Kaarina Kaikkonen
Kahleeni kannan / I'll Bear My Burden, 2017
Mixed media
132h x 26w x 19d cm / 51.97 x 10.24 x 7.48 inches
KKAI_004
Kaarina Kaikkonen
Kaarina Kaikkonen
Elämän valttikortit / I Had The Upper Hand, 2017
Mixed media
193h x 134w cm / 75.98 x 52.76 inches
KKAI_005
Kaarina Kaikkonen
Kaarina Kaikkonen
Versoin uusiin ulottuvuuksiin / I Sprouted Into New Dimensions, 2017
Mixed media
245h x 415w x 22d cm / 96.46 x 163.39 x 8.66 inches
KKAI_001
Kaarina Kaikkonen
Kaarina Kaikkonen
Kasvatan aurinkoa / Growing the Sun, 2017
Mixed Media
160h x 240w x 20d cm / 62.99 x 94.49 x 7.87 inches
KKAI_055
Kaarina Kaikkonen
Kaarina Kaikkonen
Pottulintu / Potatobird, 2016
Mixed media on paper
33h x 64w cm / 12.99 x 25.20 inches
KKAI_010
Kaarina Kaikkonen
Kaarina Kaikkonen
Kaunis kalalintu / Fancy Fishbird, 2016
Mixed media on paper
33h x 64w cm / 12.99 x 25.20 inches
KKAI_019
Kaarina Kaikkonen
Kaarina Kaikkonen
Hidaslintu / Slowbird, 2016
Mixed media on paper
33h x 64w cm / 12.99 x 25.20 inches
KKAI_020

Press Release

Used items of clothing convey an uncannily powerful sense of presence in the work of Kaarina Kaikkonen (b. 1952) The discarded clothing is highly personal and intimate, yet highly familiar and universal, holding memories and reminding us of time’s passage. Twisting playfully in mid-air, the interwoven clothing in her latest sculptures is a metaphorical depiction of life’s arc and time’s linearity. The works in her new exhibition mirror life’s vicissitudes with their varying body language and color schemes, yet even when at their most melancholy they always convey a ray of hope: joy and sunshine sprout forth from the unravelling sleeves of castoff jumpers.

 

Kaikkonen’s installations are a commentary on the importance of community. They portray how basic human needs such as the desire for human closeness endure from generation to generation, no matter how social reality changes over time. The works are based on the artist’s personal experiences: many of the disused items of apparel are personal souvenirs from her own life. Men’s neckties taking the form of a sprouting plant enfold a white dress that resembles a frock worn by the artist when she was two years old.

 

In addition to sculptures, the exhibition also features drawings by Kaikkonen, who originally started out as a painter. Universal spiral patterns and birds symbolizing people are among the recurring elements in her oeuvre. By drawing, the artist reconnects with her inner child: for Kaikkonen, drawing is a form of work disguised as play.

 

Kaikkonen is one of Finland’s most internationally renowned sculptors and installation artists. Her work is found in the Malmö Art Museum, Rome’s MAXXI Art Museum, the KUNSTEN Museum of Modern Art Aalborg and Helsinki’s Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art. She is the recipient of the Finnish National Visual Arts Prize in 1989 and the Finland Art Prize of 2001. In 2013 she was bestowed the title of Order of the Lion of Finland, First Class. 

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