IN THE WORKS – Anne Salmela

The inspiration behind this exhibition comes from my impressions of the different meanings people attach to work and how these meanings have changed over a couple of generations. For older generations, work—particularly securing a permanent job—was an obvious goal, which in today’s world seems increasingly rare.

Status, earning a living, supporting a family, the content of life, passion, duty, building a career, the desire to help or do something meaningful, accumulating wealth, and countless other reasons drive us to work. The global market economy, with its complex structure, is constantly changing the situation. Some professions disappear, are nostalgically remembered, while new ones emerge in their place.

The materials for the exhibition include broomstick fragments, tape, easels, glass domes, photographs, Christmas lights, printing ink, tin, fabrics, film, and screws. These too have all been designed and made by someone, sold by someone, bought by another, and transported by yet another across the world. They may have traveled in a container on a ship, on a truck, and eventually ended up on my bicycle rack and brought to the gallery as part of the artwork. For the first time, music will also accompany this exhibition, composed and performed by Mikko Rintala.

Translated with ChatGPT and Copilot