PORI SOCIETY OF ARTISTS 70 YEARS: CITYSCAPES OF PORI

Cityscapes of Pori is the 70th-anniversary exhibition of the Pori Society of Artists. The exhibition is part of Finland’s national Suomi100 centennial celebrations.

The idea for Cityscapes of Pori originated—naturally—from Pori itself! The urban landscape and local identity have changed as dramatically over the past 70 years as our understanding of what it means to be an artist.

When the Pori Society of Artists was founded in late 1947, the city was a very different place from what it is in 2017. To highlight this transformation, the exhibition includes works by Oiva Virta, a documenter of Pori’s cityscape and a founding board member of the association. Virta was a prolific painter whose works still adorn many homes in Pori, and the paintings in this exhibition have been loaned from private collections.

Current members of the Pori Society of Artists present their own interpretations of Pori’s urban identity and city spaces. Contemporary artists have captured and explored the theme through painting, sculpture, installations, video works, and sound art. Cityscapes of Pori invites visitors on a visual journey 70 years into the past—and perhaps even offers glimpses into the future.

In 2017, the activities of the Pori Society of Artists and its anniversary events were supported by the Satakunta Arts Council and the City of Pori. Sincere thanks to all private individuals who generously lent works by Oiva Virta for this exhibition.

The exhibition concept has been curated by the association’s chair, Anna Halls.

Exhibiting Artists:

Anna Halls, Henna Inkinen, Kari Kärkiluoma, Marko Lampisuo, Jonna Lepistö, Sanna Pajunen, Samu Raatikainen, Annemaria Silvola, SOFT, Pasi Vainionpää, and Oiva Virta.

Translated with ChatGPT