Kiasma | Museum of Contemporary Art

Common things

14 Apr - 12 Sep 2010

© Jari Silomäki
Stories of alienation, 2009
Photo: Jari Silomäki
COMMON THINGS

April 14 - September 12, 2010

Kiasma (2nd floor) and the Hanasaari Culture Centre

The COMMON THINGS depicts the phenomena of our times

The Common things exhibition, which presents Finnish and Swedish contemporary art, is a reflection of us all. The works of six artists distil personal experiences and evolve into a common and identifiable representation of our time and its phenomena. The artists reflect on work and well-being at work, personal identity, exclusion, and selfishness.

The exhibition approaches individuals through thematic reflection. Anna Ekman’s photographic series Black Pond draws from the story of Narcissus. Ekman depicts the reflection of a young man’s face on water. The face in the darkness disintegrates and becomes unidentifiable and fragmented. The piece symbolises self-absorption and mental instability. In addition, Astrid Svangren touches on reflection and the formation of identity in her paintings. She paints on reflective surfaces, making the viewer and surroundings a part of the painting. Svangren deals with various subjects, including memories and becoming a woman.

To what kind of communities do individual persons belong – or not belong? The exhibition takes a look at an individual’s relationship with the community. Ulrika Minami Wärmling finds her inspiration from the bourgeoisie-depicting portrait painting tradition of the 19th century. As models she uses her goth friends from all over the world. Kristina Müntzing explores themes related to immigration and cultural identity in her installation New Swedes. The installation comprises hundreds of dolls, a combination of souvenirs from various cultures and figures from popular culture.

Well-being at work is one of the key issues of our time. Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen collected real stories on difficult relationships at work and related fictional solutions for their video installation I love my job. The work was filmed in Sweden and Finland. Jari Silomäki’s photographic series’s Stories of alienation and Profile – a potential school killer focus on social issues. His works, which incorporate pictures and text, portray the situations and defence mechanisms of various individuals very realistically.
The exhibition is part of the Swedish - Finnish Cultural Foundation's 50th anniversary program. The exhibition was curated by Museum Director Pirkko Siitari.
 

Tags: Ulrika Minami, Astrid Svangren