Anne Alho ja Juhani Petäjäniemi
April 15 - May 22
Color and steel meet in the retrospective exhibition of two masters of their field. Sculptor Anne Alho (1955–2010) and visual artist Juhani Petäjäniemi (1956–2015) passed away relatively young, yet they left an indelible mark on Jyväskylä – both with the works of art they produced, and as teachers as well. The exhibition presents Anne Alho’s sculptures and Juhani Petäjäniemi’s paintings from the art collection of the City of Jyväskylä.
Anne Alho
”Anne Alho’s hands are suited for cross-stitching, but the tiny woman chose MIG instead and began to weld steel joints.”
– Sari Toivakka, 2002
It was of utmost importance for Anne Alho to search for and relate beauty and truth in her art. She believed in good, honesty, and love; beauty in particular was equivalent to truth in her sculptures. The ideas and inspiration for her works Alho found from her immediate environment. For the artist, a simple tube of paint could represent humanity, and she could make steel cry out in her hands. Anne Alho’s body of work includes numerous pieces that portray immaterial events, such as Scream (1986) and Comfort (Is Hope) (2004). Both works are displayed in the exhibition.
Juhani Petäjäniemi
”There are no large matters. There are only small matters, yet they are just as important.”
– Juhani Petäjäniemi, 1995
Juhani Petäjäniemi’s dedication to color is manifest in his body of work. Faraway subject matters felt alien to him, and like Anne Alho, he too chose to capture his own environment in his works. Painting was an end in itself to Petäjäniemi, rather than a means of making a difference. His position was that art is not meant to be understood – what is important is the experience and sensation that art creates in the audience. Petäjäniemi’s paintings on display include Tomato (2003), Water (1985), and Blue House (1982). The exhibition showcases a wide variety of Petäjäniemi’s body of work from the 1970s to the 2010s.
The initiative for the exhibition came from Anne Alho’s life partner Harald Karsten and Juhani Petäjäniemi’s son Tiitus Petäjäniemi. Visitors can meet both Karsten and Tiitus Petäjäniemi on Friday 15.4. at 16:30 in Jyväskylä Art Museum’s Gallery Holvi.