iisa maaranen

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 out of something subconscious from 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.

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

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