Kiasma | Museum of Contemporary Art

Kari Cavén

29 Oct 2010 - 06 Feb 2011

© Kari Cavén
Eyes Crossed, 1999
Photo: VTM/KKA, Pirje Mykkänen
KARI CAVÉN
"Eyes Crossed"

29.10.2010 - 06.02.2011
Studio K

Artist Kari Cavén (b. 1954) is inspired by the processing of materials accumulated in his studio, by experiments, insights and discoveries. Junk becomes an image, and a miracle occurs. Everything happens seemingly without any effort, as in play, but serious play.

Kari Cavén's way of depicting the world and being is unique and personal. His distinctive language is unmistakeable. Chance, playfulness and humour, as well as the relationship between words and images, are all recurring themes in his work.

Previously Cavén worked a lot with wood. Over time, he has begun to use a diversity of materials: metal, plastic, rubber as well as ready-mades, such as household appliances that make sounds. The works are not merely masterful material assemblages, however, because the found objects carry messages about our everyday life, enriching our viewing experience and thoughts with additional meanings.

Eyes Crossed (1999) is a concept based on an optical illusion. The work has previously been on exhibit in the Heureka Science Centre as well as elsewhere. Curated from works from Collections of Kiasma, the exhibition also presents two recent acquisitions: Mumps (2007), where a pimply pig sits coyly on a wooden pedestal in a frame, and Ball, Ball, Ball...(2010) where, peering into the depths of a waste bin, balls reflected by the mirror walls seem to extend into infinity. Mumps was last on exhibit in 2008 conjunction with the Kivikko & Kiasma project at the Kivitasku Service Centre.
 

Tags: Kari Cavén