ARTTU MERIMAA and EERO MERIMAA

Arttu Merimaa

In my artistic work, recurring themes include love, violence, male identity, and faith. My video installations often explore these subjects through various visual storytelling conventions and genres. By adopting a specific convention, the artist incorporates the genre into the meaning-making process of the work, which unfolds through the viewer’s points of identification. My works are rooted in media culture and the way the simulated reality of media seeps into individual experience. I am interested in blurring the boundaries between genuine and culturally constructed experiences, as well as questioning the very notion of authenticity. Authenticity is always based on the subject’s perception of reality and self, making it a paradox—one that cannot have a universal, absolute definition. Thus, a suggestible individual (which means anyone) is constantly struggling with their emotions and their assumed authenticity.

For Poriginal Gallery, I have created a new piece in which a young girl and boy engage in a role-playing game. The game transitions from sexuality to violence, where the girl, as is conventionally expected, takes on the role of the victim. The existence of these roles is revealed to the viewer when the bloodied victim shifts position to find a more comfortable resting pose. In this way, the piece explores human relationships and the negotiation of power dynamics through a dual narrative. Two storylines intertwine: the role-play performed by the characters and the documentary-like deconstruction of that performance. The violent atmosphere of the work ultimately transforms into an awareness of roles, their fluidity, and the relative agency individuals have in human interactions.

Above all, the work examines youth and the feelings of detachment and transience associated with it. Youth is a chaotic time, and moderation or rationality should not be expected from young people. The young protagonists appear like children dressed in adult clothing, alone at home, experimenting with different forms of interaction and power dynamics. They are both enthralled and bewildered by the speed and totality of constant change. I have titled the piece “Sparkles of Chaos and Youth”.

I am a visual artist from Pori, born in 1983, and graduated from Tampere University of Applied Sciences in 2007. After this exhibition, my works will be shown at Mänttä Art Festival in the summer and at Gallery Huuto in Helsinki (September–October) in collaboration with Miina Hujala. Currently, I am also co-organizing Linnake, a temporary gallery project in Tampere, presenting seven different exhibitions over seven weeks.

Eero Merimaa – Rubber & Charcoal Drawings

My exhibition consists of charcoal drawings and rubber sculptures, though the sculptures are in essence more like drawings than traditional sculptures. In these works, I aim to explore the processes that influence their creation—movement and structure. The characteristics and nature of materials have always played a central role in my work, and that remains the case here. Rubber and charcoal are both materials that resist control, making these works perhaps more a product of the materials themselves than of my own artistic will.

My focus is on the interface where materials and artistic process meet, without the complexity of imagery or narrative. My drawings are simple—process descriptions, reactions, and actions.

This text was created with AI assistance