Nestori Syrjälä
Running Man
07 Jun 2016 - 31 May 2017
NESTORI SYRJÄLÄ
Running Man
7 June 2016 – 31 May 2017
Running Man by Nestori Syrjälä received the shared first prize in an art competition organised by the Finnish State Art Commission and Kiasma. Running Man began his race in June 2016.
Nestori Syrjälä describes his piece: “Running Man is a dramatised image of contemporary humanity: a hurried and lost figure in a world beset by ecological, economic and political crises. The work consists of several runs, each lasting for one hour, conducted once a week for one year. The runners are actors and dancers. The choreography of the runs is derived from the physical manifestations of psychological reactions to crisis.”
In its statement, the jury observed that Syrjälä’s entry satisfies admirably the aim of the competition, to find new forms for public art, an area where performance art remains a rarity. Taking place in the urban public space, the work allows unostentatious encounters between art and the public on a human scale. The work can also be seen as commenting critically on current social issues, on pressures for change and the bustle of everyday life. The concept has acquired depth in further development and it is of high quality technically.
Nestori Syrjälä (born 1983) is a visual artist working in Helsinki and Turku. He graduated from the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in 2009 and has also studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts in Stockholm. Syrjälä is an active member of the Mustarinda Association.
Running Man
7 June 2016 – 31 May 2017
Running Man by Nestori Syrjälä received the shared first prize in an art competition organised by the Finnish State Art Commission and Kiasma. Running Man began his race in June 2016.
Nestori Syrjälä describes his piece: “Running Man is a dramatised image of contemporary humanity: a hurried and lost figure in a world beset by ecological, economic and political crises. The work consists of several runs, each lasting for one hour, conducted once a week for one year. The runners are actors and dancers. The choreography of the runs is derived from the physical manifestations of psychological reactions to crisis.”
In its statement, the jury observed that Syrjälä’s entry satisfies admirably the aim of the competition, to find new forms for public art, an area where performance art remains a rarity. Taking place in the urban public space, the work allows unostentatious encounters between art and the public on a human scale. The work can also be seen as commenting critically on current social issues, on pressures for change and the bustle of everyday life. The concept has acquired depth in further development and it is of high quality technically.
Nestori Syrjälä (born 1983) is a visual artist working in Helsinki and Turku. He graduated from the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in 2009 and has also studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts in Stockholm. Syrjälä is an active member of the Mustarinda Association.