Once again a month has passed by. I have been working on my thesis relentlessly and I am happy to say that in two weeks it shall be finished and I will graduate this semester! That will mean that I have more time to write this blog. ^__^ Another thing that has been preoccupying my free time for the past couple of months is the search for an apartment. In the beginning of June I start working in a different city and need to find a place to live. I am really excited because a new chapter is beginning in my life.
For the past couple of months I have visited several art exhibitions but they have not often suited the themes of this blog a.k.a. the artworks I've seen have not been extremely "goth" nor have they represented darker aesthetics. This installation is something I would like to feature. I think it is rather uncanny.
This installation was made by Finnish artist Mia Hamari. Another work of hers was featured in
this post in January. The name of this work is "Manual, Siberia, Jester, Party". It is made of two figures. A more human-like creature and an animal with a human face. Hamari draws inspiration from dreams and the subconscious. Her works often feature a human-animal metamorphosis. In this work there are also mechanical/clockwork aspects to them, since the other one has wheels instead of back limbs.
This work was exhibited at the
Gallen-Kallela Museum. Gallen-Kallela is one of our national artists and the museum is his old home turned into an exhibition place. There are changing exhibitions and this work of Mia Hamari can be seen till the end of May 2016.
As you can see, this artwork is made of mixed materials, among them bronze, wood and parts of animals. The animals Hamari uses in her art have died in accidents. She has also used human parts like hair and eyelashes. Presumably they are of her own or donated to her.
This smaller statue is the size of a small terrier or another dog. What I really like about this installation is that the expressions on both the creatures' faces are a bit ambiguous, one can easily interpret several different feelings. This way the work can express different feelings and atmospheres, depending of the viewer. The small one is looking up and the taller one has closed its eyes. Though the small one has no pupils in its eyes so nobody knows if it can even see. Very uncanny.
I hope you liked this installation of Mia Hamari!
The wheels and unicycle give it a bit of movement and whimsy too. And one's missing legs and one's missing arms, which should make them both equal and opposite. The power dynamics between the two--the submissive one on the floor and the authoritative one higher up--are interesting. Looks like a cool exhibit! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSpooky and interesting!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jade and others -welcome to see my next exhibition "PUUMINÄ" in gallery Sculptor, Helsinki, Finland - opening 10.5.2016 17.-19.00 :) facebook: Sculptor Mia Hamari
ReplyDeleteFirst: Best of luck with the new job / in the new city!
ReplyDeleteAnd as always this is some interesting but scary art, the smaller one reminds me of some toy for children, pull along something but then again there is that facial expression that might be scary for every kid - or maybe not since they have a different feeling about a lot of things than grownups...