Tiina Pyykkinen – The Presence of Instability
11.2.–7.5.2023
Tiina Pyykkinen's solo exhibition features the artist's works from the last five years. In her paintings, Pyykkinen explores light, colour and visual perception.
The glossy paintings reflect their surroundings and seem to change when viewed from different directions. The multi-coloured surface of the works disappears when the reflection of the environment is dark and, accordingly, appears different in pale light. In addition, people moving around the exhibition space create constantly changing reflections on the works. The mirror wall in the 3rd floor of the exhibition multiplies the works and the museum space to form an installation.
– I strive to use this kind of reactivity to encourage viewers to move in front of the works and connect more intensely with their own bodies. In a way, the works hide and reveal things about themselves and about the surrounding reality.
The surface layer of the paintings, which appears to be multicoloured at first glance, is often executed with only one pigment. The multidimensional and changing colour surfaces are the result of years of material research and experimentation, which have led Pyykkinen to make the oil paints she uses herself.
– Through my works I create a situation in which the surroundings and their changes become a part of the artworks. I utilise the properties of different substances and build shapes that support this act. My aim is to create works that vary according to lighting conditions, time and motion.
The themes of Pyykkinen's recent works are related to the concept of time. The artist is interested in time as a physical phenomenon, as well as an experiential, internal matter of the mind. Underneath the layers of colour in the paintings are views of another place and time.
– I often insert references to places and spaces in my painted “images”, which I want to blend into the exhibition space with the help of reflections. The painting’s space is shared between the exhibition space and the viewer.
A book presenting Tiina Pyykkinen's latest work will be published in connection with the exhibition. The publication is supported by Frame Fund Finland.
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Tiina Pyykkinen
Tiina Pyykkinen (b. 1983) is a visual artist born in Saarijärvi, Central Finland. Currently living and working in Helsnki, Pyykkinen graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in 2014. She has worked in several residencies, most recently at the Jan van Eyck Academy residency in the Netherlands in 2022. Pyykkinen's works are in several collections, including those of the Espoo Museum of Modern Art, Finnish National Gallery / Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma and the Wihuri Foundation / Rovaniemi Art Museum. Pyykkinen has created several public works, most recently in Jyväskylä, for the Kuokkala School in 2019 and the Nova Hospital in 2020.