Pekka Suomäki, Retroskeptic of the Millennium

April 15 - May 22, Holvi, lower gallery

Pekka Suomäki is a visual artist who details our modern way of living and our complicity in the current state of the world. Suomäki’s assemblages and collages bombard the viewer with conflicting emotions, and the thoughts provoked by his pieces continue to niggle at the back of the mind even in the comfort of one’s own home. Suomäki boldly throws before us unpleasant – even dubious – subject matters. His criticism is biting, haunting, and disturbingly accurate, yet also gentle, understanding, and laced with humor as well. The viewer does not know whether to laugh or to cry. What is clear, however, is that Suomäki is a staunch defender of the individual against the big machine – something that feels invaluable in today’s environment.