ON THE BOUNDARIES OF DRAWING – The Drawing Class
The members of the Drawing Class are eight visual artists: Jari Järnström, Jukka Kinanen, Hanne Lindström, Maarit Malin-Pötry, Maaria Märkälä, Timo Partanen, Reijo Puranen, and Veera Saurama.
In the Drawing Class, each artist’s individual creativity merges with collaborative work. Public drawing is an essential part of working together. Even before the official establishment of the group, some members participated in live drawing events at various cultural happenings. The passion for drawing originally brought these artists together.
Jari Järnström (b. 1960) is a painter whose work involves regular croquis drawing from live models. In this exhibition, his charcoal drawings combine images of men, symbolic motifs, and drawn brushstrokes that mimic painting.
Jukka Kinanen (b. 1956) has explored the boundaries of drawing, pondering when a drawing transitions from a sketch to an independent artwork or part of one. His works address various aspects of being human, presented in the form of notes or diary entries.
Hanne Lindström (b. 1956) has drawn pencil images in which the perspective, direction, and intensity of light and shadow shift across the surface, aiming to break the typical spatial effect. The objects in her images are combined from familiar parts into new compositions.
Maarit Malin-Pötry (b. 1960) draws on rough wooden surfaces she has constructed and adds sculpted wooden three-dimensional elements to complement the drawings. The themes revolve around human emotions and feelings.
Maaria Märkälä (b. 1964) has drawn double-fantasy portraits using pens, various drawing tools, and chalks, from which one can deduce some conclusions about the destinations of her travels. She has also visited the Pori Jazz festival.
Timo Partanen (b. 1970) focuses on drawing in his work. He examines landscapes from new perspectives, where observations and experiences of time and place blend with mental and memory images.
Reijo Puranen (b. 1956) creates politically charged pencil drawings that address cultural values and race theories. In his works, he combines beauty and ugliness through meticulous drawing techniques.
Veera Saurama (b. 1949) draws with ink and traditional drawing pens. Her images feature various line spirals, line densifications, and rhythms. Occasionally, natural shapes may appear. When drawing, her thoughts are filled with life’s joys and sorrows, the breaking of the old, and the beginning of the new.
Translated with ChatGPT