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The Space Between
October, 2016
Jasmina Haverinen
Nea Korpela
Jonna Pakkanen
Riina Raimi
How we define and organize work is changing radically for almost everyone – including artists. Familiar categories, contracts and communication modes, many of which have been in place for generations, are vanishing, yet what will replace them is mostly an open question. This exhibition offers a highly specific signpost toward a positive vision of our shared future.
I came to know the work of these young amateur artists while buying materials for my own art series at an East Helsinki lumber yard. In the yard’s tiny cashier office I noticed an informal display of small, very carefully drawn images of mysterious women, vibrantly alive animals and disturbingly fantastical beasts. “Who’s the artist?” was my simple question. “There are actually four of us. And we often draw in between serving customers…”
And so began what has for me been a fascinating process of exploration of the visually intriguing pictures of four emerging artists. But it has equally been an exploration of questions, like “What makes a real artist?”, “How important is artistic context? “What constitutes work?”, and “How is our relationship between work and personal life changing?”.