THE HAPPY ONES and a Few Other Stories – Simo Saarikoski

We Finns are doing well. In fact, better than ever, they say. So well that even our Prime Minister suggests that the media should focus solely on emphasizing this well-being. However, differing perspectives do appear in the media from time to time.

Yet, it is usually experts from various fields who have the loudest voices—those who, inevitably, assess the situation from the perspective of the successful and the privileged.

In this exhibition, the voices belong to those whose lives may not be going so well, even if they wouldn’t admit it themselves. These voices, however, are fictional—created by the artist’s hand and mind. I approach the subject from a somewhat external perspective, one that my profession allows me to adopt.

But the well-off majority has not been forgotten. On the walls, they are given the chance to smile and view the world with satisfaction—just as they always have.

The works in this exhibition draw on the traditions of watercolor painting and dollhouse construction. This time, however, the contents and worldview of these miniature homes deviate from the familiar.

This text was created with AI assistance