Obstacle
Porvoon Taidehalli
10.1.–2.2.2020
The character of my paintings is often changing, like light or wind. As though something were seeking a more appropriate form. Always asking: what exactly is it within ourselves which is trying to break free?
I often refer to my work as a finding of points of encounter. The ricochets for my paintings are often stimulated by a visual observation from daily life, loaded with some psychological or societal theme. The stepping in something subconscious of the image interests me. Creating an image can be a process where something significant becomes visible.
An observation can be found, for example, in the multitude of things in our world. It can be a truck filled with stacks of buckets, clinging to each other. Or a fairground claw machine filled with hidden prizes, lizard-like, fragile and transient creatures. The domineering and stark claw waits for the next player to succeed.
Obstacle brings together paintings from different series from the past few years.


We See Glimpses, But it Fumbles Away, 2018, gum arabic tempera, agar-agar, cotton, 120 x 173 cm

Crumbs and a Creaking of the Back Door, 2019, earth pigments, indigo, gum arabic tempera, agar agar, old trousers

Obstacle and Disappearing Birds, 2019, earth pigments, indigo, gum arabic tempera, agar agar, old trousers


Out of Reach, 2019, earth pigments, gum arabic tempera, agar agar, old sweatshirt


Unreachable, 2018, gum arabic tempera, agar-agar, cotton, 140 x 160 cm

Threat?, 2019, earth pigments, gum arabic tempera, agar agar, old sweatshirt


Osoitettu paikka menettää merkityksen, 2019, gum arabic tempera, agar-agar, cotton, 75x145 cm

Libido vs Thanatos, 2016, oil on cotton, 200 x 150 cm


Getting Together, 2018, gum arabic tempera, agar-agar, cotton, 144 x 144 cm

Today is a Royal Bus, 2018, gum arabic tempera, agar-agar, cotton, 121 x 95 cm

Mennä, 2019, gum arabic tempera, agar-agar, cotton, 131 x 145 cm


Waiting for Your Performance, 2018, gum arabic tempera, agar-agar, cotton, 160 x 120 cm

Glowing Yellow Earth like a Warning Traffic Sign, 2018, gum arabic tempera, agar-agar, cotton, 145 x 110 cm

I Guess it’s a Burden of Our Time, 2019, earth pigments, gum arabic tempera, agar agar, old jeans
Photos: Hanna Råst