Veikko Hirvimäki

5 June – 13 September

Wolves howl, a Moose King bursts into flower, rabbits come and go, multifaceted installations send messages, meanings, along with the joy of discovery and the understanding of woe when Veikko Hirvimäki’s jubilant wooden sculptures take-over the art museum.

This exhibition focuses on work made in the 2000’s, but the exhibition also shows how this artist, who is best known for his stone sculptures, began building things. Veikko Hirvimäki’s main building material is wood of which he uses every precious scrap.

Veikko Hirvimäki began his artistic career as a painter, but was recognised in Finland in the 1980–1990’s through his public sculptures, the most famous of which is the Mika Waltari Memorial “The Leading Thought” in Helsinki. For over the past twenty years, Hirvimäki has now lived and worked in Ballaigues, Switzerland. In summer he annually returns to his childhood landscape in Petäjävesi, Finland.

The Veikko Hirvimäki book edited by Heli Lukkarinen, published by Galerie Forsblom will be released in conjunction with the exhibition opening on Thursday June 4th. The book presents Hirvimäki’s sculptures from the years 2001 to 2015. The articles in Finnish are written by; philosopher Tuomas Nevanlinna, who analyses the meanings of Hirvimäki’s animal figures, and art critic/artist Hannu Castrén who goes into Hirvimäki’s personal history. The book is on sale at the Museum Shop.