THE WEB OF MEANINGS – Kimmo Kanerva

My work and installations address cultural context from a textual perspective. The urban environment, social interaction, and textuality are, in my view, both an integral part of what binds us to our culture, as well as a tool and building block for the artwork. In a culturally bound reality, the technique of the work must be interpreted from this standpoint. One cannot detach oneself from their own reality, as there is no independent perspective from which to view things. Collective structures, such as language and culture, make human reality possible. However, these structures are also the means by which we keep ourselves grounded and connected. Textuality, therefore, represents both opportunities and limitations. Perhaps my work could be seen as some sort of struggle within the web of meanings.

In addition to the web of textuality and meanings, I have also been interested in jellyfish—especially in a symbolic sense through their existential realization. The vital water element for the jellyfish could be compared to the vital cultural element for humans and institutions. Romantically expressed, one could say that the human individual is, through their element, a moving and conscious being and actor. Culture is what makes us human. I also believe, as Michel Tournier does, that a Western person stranded on a deserted island would not start building a Western society, but at least initially, they would go mad from losing contact with their community. The rain and clapping background is also symbolic in its collectivity.

The interior of the “Temple” section is based on the flood-like nature of information noise and the abstraction of form. The fragmentary nature of the text arises from the fact that a person can never achieve a complete and seamless understanding of reality. The content of the story deals with human freedom. The theme of freedom also repeats itself in the form of the artwork. The viewer has the opportunity to choose in which order they observe the work and read the text fragments. On the other hand, the parts of the text are connected randomly, reflecting the randomness and situational nature of human life. We cannot choose the situations we find ourselves in, yet we are always responsible to others for the choices we make. In relation to the story of the installation, I have collaborated with Asko Nivala, who wrote the original version of the story, which I have used as the building block for the interior space. Nivala studied cultural history, general literary studies, and philosophy at the University of Turku and the German Christian-Albrecht University, focusing on human connections to culture, language, and history, making him an important conversational partner on this subject.

This text was created with AI assistance