My solo exhibition Syventämisen halu / Desire of Deepening was open 15th August – 8th September 2024 in galleria Huuto’s exhibition space III at Kalasatama in Helsinki, www.galleriahuuto.fi. It’s included new oil paintings and a video installation Kaikki ei näy ainakaan heti / Not everything is visible at once.
My artistic work is conceptual digging, searching for meanings. When the bucket of an excavator and an artist’s paintbrush move, something is found and something is covered. I explain the creation of my paintings, about working in layers, through video technology. I apply paint with a brush and wipe the surface of the paint with a rag – this, too, is digging.
In addition to the composed music, the video features natural sounds from construction sites and the studio, such as human conversation. There are also excerpts from an organ piece composed by Juha T. Koskinen. The four-part Ormhuvud piece for the organ was commissioned by Jan Lehtola, who first performed it publicly at St. Paul’s Church in Helsinki on 2006. The name of the piece comes from Gunnar Ekelöf’s collection of poems Sagan om Fatumeh (1966). I am proud of my video team, of my band: sound designer and composer Juha T. Koskinen, musician Jan Lehtola, editor Mika Koskinen, cinematographer Arttu Peltomaa and model Anni Raitio. I acted as director, screenwriter and cinematographer. The world premiere was held there on a continuous loop.
Anna-Leena Vilhunen 2024
