Jonna Finnilä and Terhi Saalasti
“Why not.” This statement reflects the attitude with which we have approached the works in this exhibition.
Our aim is that, through our work, subjective intuition and objective analysis, as well as technical experiments and acquired skills, generate something new and delightful in dialogue. We do not want to exclude anything that emerges, grows, inspires action, and through this, begins to live its own life. The works created in a short span of time always form their own world, within which unexpected things happen and which contains contemporary reflection. Much of it is what we have seen and experienced together, born from interaction. The two artists’ worlds approach each other, sometimes meeting and sometimes brushing against each other strangely closely.
Our long-term themes include the problems of reconciling individual freedom with communal life and the question of what constitutes a good life and who it is available to, and by what means it is reasonable to pursue it. These questions are timeless because each era considers them as typical for itself. Right now, there is talk of moderation, excessive sacrifice to achieve peace and satisfaction. Art does not attract money or material; it is, in its purest form, human activity that has the potential to provide satisfaction, to form the true and genuine content of life.
The possibilities for artistic expression are still limitless. Just as a person should not set imaginary limits for themselves in life, the artist should not do so in their work. Why not? If it excites and gives content, it is worth pursuing.
The exhibition includes drawings, paintings, pigment prints, and sculptures.
We met at the Imatra Art School, now part of Saimaa University of Applied Sciences, where we graduated as visual artists in 2007. Our main subject was printmaking, but we both work diversely in photography, digital image processing, painting, and various mixed techniques.
“Why not.” is our sixth joint exhibition.
This text was created with AI assistance