Exhibition #95 – Hymn

8.3.–20.4.2024

HYMNI

Matias Karsikas, Hanna-Kaisa Korolainen, Milla Vaahtera

8.3.–20.4.2024

The spring anthem, composed by three contemporary artists, is sung in their own distinct voices. The hymn is sung to the soon-to-bud spring blossoms, to the images and forms sprouting from within us. It is sung to ceramics, glass, textiles, the creation and birthing of works, Finnish design and our far-reaching tradition of hand-crafting. The anthem is first sung alternately as a turn song between the three, and finally it is sung in unison.

In Matias Karsikas’ sculptures, hot-worked glass and glazed ceramics meet nature-shaped wood. The cornerstones of the work include the utilisation of the artist’s own methods in the construction of the works. Nature as a theme can be seen in the way that Karsikas listens to the material and lets it express itself. Glass, gold and platinum oozing from wood found in a natural and untreated forest contain a sensitivity that would otherwise remain hidden.

Hand-tufted rugs, ceramics and glass are presented by Hanna-Kaisa Korolainen. Thematically, the works touch upon loss and the cycle of life. The plant motifs are inspired by the paintings of the Japanese Edo period master Ogata Korini (1658-1716). The soft melancholy of Korolainen’s works grows into comfort and hope, encouraging one to dream; the next growing season and spring always arrives, a new morning dawns.

Milla Vaahtera’s series of small mobiles is inspired by fruit trees, water plants and mysticism. The sculptural lamps are geometric in shape and play with proportions and movement. “At the dawn of spring, I am often overcome by an unbearable impatience to see the first buds of spring, and for several years it reflects in my work as a sprawling organicity and an avalanche of plant themes.”

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