AT THE FETISH MARKET – Eeva Honkanen

In this exhibition, the religious experiences of my youth meet the animist worldview of West Africa. The starting point of the exhibition is a trip I made to Benin a couple of years ago.

Religion served for a long time as guidance for me between good and evil, right and wrong. Holiness and spirits created a strong framework for my youth. Since childhood, I have consciously sought places where certain kinds of contrasts provide opportunities to deal with my internal conflicts.
According to the animist worldview, strongly influencing West Africa, humans are an inseparable part of nature. Everywhere, especially in objects and natural beings, there seemed to be spirits and holiness present in a different way.
The exhibition consists of sketches made during the trip, as well as large ink drawings based on them. In my works, people, animals, and their combinations mix into a newly constructed reality.

Eeva Honkanen (born 1983) graduated in 2010 from the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture. In 2017, Honkanen worked primarily in the United States, in residence at the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York. Her work at the residence was supported by the Kone Foundation.

Translated with ChatGPT