Sabazios’ Hand – Inka Kynkäänniemi, Iiris Kaarlehto

Sabazios was a nomadic rider god worshipped by the Phrygian and Thracian tribes in the 11th-10th centuries BC, in what is now Turkey, Bulgaria, and Greece. Ritual objects, such as copper and bronze hands, have been left behind as remnants of the worship of this god. These hand sculptures are often associated with symbols of the god, including pinecones, toads, clay pots, pine branches, wheat grains, cymbals, bundles, scales, knives, tortoise shells, and three oval-shaped vases. The meaning of these objects is ambiguous, and not all their symbolic associations are known, but most of them have a practical nature. Later, the Romans adopted this god, considering him a protector of cultivation and women in childbirth. The hands that remain from the worship of Sabazios are seen as symbols of handiwork, sustaining work, and the fusion of the human and material worlds.

Beachcombing is an English term for the activity of searching and collecting items along the shores. A beachcomber seeks things brought to the beach by the sea, which can be practical, economically valuable, or intriguing in other ways. The term originated from the occupation practiced by Europeans who settled in the islands of Oceania during colonial times. These former sailors were seen as having abandoned European culture and its associated values, and during that period, the term “beachcomber” was used synonymously with a criminal, tramp, or freeloader.

Beachbrushing is an invented word.

Iiris Kaarlehto (b. 1987) and Inka Kynkäänniemi (b. 1992) studied together at the Academy of Fine Arts and have been collaborating since 2014. Their works have been exhibited in venues such as Galleria Titanik in Turku, Galleria Oksasenkatu 11 in Helsinki, and Club Guggenheim at the Kaiku Club in Helsinki.

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