Art Centre Salmela’s Artists in summer 2014
Eero Hiironen (b. 1938). Professor Eero Hiironen is one of the best-known Finnish sculptors.
Hiironen’s favourite material is acid-proof steel. In the working of this difficult material he is an
unequalled master. He also uses bronze, copper and aluminum to make images of Finnish nature,
seasons and most of all water. For over 30 years Hiironen has been inspired by Finnish lakes. In
bringing the shapes and reflections of water into his works he declares himself to be a visionary
prophet.
Antti Huovinen (b. 1972). Antti Huovinen is a 41-year old visual artist from Vehmaa whose original
and humane style depicts both little details of a forest and people with the same skill and accuracy.
Huovinen loves to work with people for people, for example as a portraitist or community artist.
Antti Huovinen made his debut as Art Centre Salmela’s Young Artist in 1999.
Lidia Joki (b. 1982). Tampere-based visual artist Lidia Joki originates from a family of artists, where
visual arts, music and photography have always been present. Joki loves to travel abroad to enjoy
the light and sun. It is often there she picks up her fascinating palettes and the tranquility of her
paintings. When beginning a new painting, Lidia Joki is inspired by light and calmness. Her paintings
often feature people who are spending time outdoors with their pets. “The paintings become more
interesting because of the several layers of paint they consist of and the different strokes of paint I
use. I want to combine modernity with nostalgia and values of a different era”, she says.
Kauko Kortelainen (b. 1933). Sculptor Kauko Kortelainen who has participated in exhibitions both
nationally and internationally completed his first works with only five years of age. With 17 he began
working with wood and continues on that road even today. Materials he uses include type metal,
steel, bronze and stone. Motives range from animals and nature to people and more abstract
themes whereas the height of Kortelainen’s sculptures varies from five centimeters to almost four
meters. Kortelainen is a versatile artist who paints and photographs in addition to sculpting. This
summer’s sculptures are made of granite and explore nature from different angles.
Pia Kousa (b. 1977). Visual artist Pia Kousa’s works are carried out with photographic
methods to display a dialogue between traditional themes of art and modernity. Kousa’s
works borrow inventions of early media culture that she mixes up with archaic technology to
be deposited into modern image reproduction methods. Her motifs are transformed so that
they are more than a surface and move into multi-dimensionality.
Kousa is a graduate of the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts as well as the Lahti Art Institute. In her
works she discusses the relationships between photograph and illusion, reality and replication. In
recent years her works have featured in numerous solo as well as group exhibitions both in Finland
and abroad. Kousa won the third Visual Arts Competition for Young Artists organized by Art Centre
Salmela in the summer of 2013.
Tero Laaksonen (b. 1953). Painter Tero Laaksonen has delivered a rich and strong portfolio during
his long career. The feeling of ease and lightness is characteristic for Laaksonen and his œuvre that
often features classical cultural symbols that feed the imagination. Laaksonen portrays motifs in his
works that would be impossible to present otherwise.
Susanna Pälviä (b. 1964). Visual artist Susanna Pälviä who originates from Lahti has studied fine arts
in Joensuu and at the Enshede Academy of Art and Design in Netherlands. She graduated from the
department of Mixed Media in 2000 and has since been involved in numerous solo and group
exhibitions in Finland and abroad. Pälviä is a member of a group a female artists called ”Jostain
kotoisin” – At Home Somewhere that has held exhibitions since 2008. Pälviä has lived and worked in
the Mynttilä village of Mäntyharju since 2004.
In her works Pälviä often reflects upon her own and her family’s history and the impact of childhood
in adult life. In her most recent works the artist searches for a connection to her mother’s childhood
in Vyborg. What kind of a child was her now almost 90-year old mother? How was her childhood in
Vybord in the 20’s and 30’s? Pälviä approaches her subject through memories shared by her mother,
her imagination and time spent in the Vyborg residence combining installations and photography.
Pälviä’s installations are built mostly of recycled materials.
Carolina von Schantz (b. 1977). Carolina von Schantz is a Helsinki-based visual artist who has studied
painting and other artistic subjects amongst others at Finnish Academy of Fine Arts and the art
department of Universitat de Barcelona. Art has been a natural part of von Schantz’ life since she
was a little girl. She uses oil, acrylic and tempera and feels that different painting materials are
fascinating as well as inspiring and inspire new expression. The starting point for von Schantz’
paintings is often a sketch, a photograph or an image of something that surprises, touches, irritates
or requires countering. She describes painting as a combination of the conscious and intuitive, a
dialogue between the internal and external world and values the intuitive process of painting.
Tiina Suikkanen (b. 1981). Painter Tiina Suikkanen lives and works in Imatra. Observing
nature plays a big role in her life as well as her art and is her favorite way of relaxing.
According to Suikkanen walking barefoot on grass and sitting beside a flower bed calms even
the most stressed mind. Suikkanen’s most recent works often feature insects who serve as
building blocks creating weird formations and phenomena that border on the fantastical.
Individuals blend into masses as masses are broken down into individuals.
Colors have always played an import part in Suikkanen’s works. She uses colors to adjust the
world to her liking and uses light as an important tool in her painting.
Kia Taegen (b. 1990). Kia Taegen is an Espoo-based visual artist and Bachelor of Architecture from
Aalto University’s School of Arts, Design and Architecture. In her oil paintings she often depicts both
urban city landscapes and picturesque nature which are combined through a unique and dynamic
atmosphere created by light and color witnessed by a lonely wanderer. “Vyborg has become deeply
entrenched in our minds as a lost cradle of culture, one of Finland’s great cities, the city of the
Karelians. Therefore the current state of the city can be a difficult thing to witness for many. Ruins,
down-run buildings and stray dogs, monuments of the Soviet era here and there. While staying at
Art Centre Salmela’s Vyborg residence I had the opportunity to get a closer look at this city of mixed
feelings. The old regal buildings show themselves to curious eyes and many parks and banks create a
special atmosphere despite of their shabbiness. In the Monrepos Park you can sense the presence of
centuries passed and enjoy the play of light, shadow and colors. Ruins taken over by vegetation and
colorful play grounds soften the harsh environment in which stray dogs and babushkas play
sympathetic lead roles.
My Vyborg-series stems from this scenery. It contains images of long-lost eras, the city in ruins and
lush green parks as well as the rapidly evolving, urban Vyborg.”
Netta Tiitinen (b. 1980). Vantaa-born visual artist Netta Tiitinen often depicts children in her works
for which she was chosen as the audience’s favorite in the third Visual Arts Competition for Young
Artists organized by Art Centre Salmela in the summer of 2013. Tiitinen prefers acrylic paints and
wants to challenge traditions by using a variety of techniques open-mindedly.
Tiitinen creates thematically and technically cohesive exhibitions. This time her works are glowing
with the patina of time hence the name of her exhibition, “Time”. The idea for this series of works
was born in the autumn of 2013 in Paris where Tiitinen had a joint exhibition with Samuli Alonen. A
visit to the Louvre especially changed Tiitinen’s conception of time and forced her to reflect on it.
What is time? From where does it come and where is it going?
Jussi TwoSeven (b. 1983). Painter Jussi TwoSeven is a self-taught artist with a background in street
art. He likes to paint his works in both public spaces and galleries and considers painting for a gallery
as a continuation of street art. Jussi TwoSeven was a finalist of the Visual Arts Competition for Young
Artists 2013. His exhibition in the summer of 2014 presents a series of paintings that are a tribute to
the Finnish nature. TwoSeven creates all works directly to the exhibition space in spring 2014 while
working at Salmela.