LOST DOG – Emilia Ukkonen

In the video work Lost Dog (2015), a man speaks on the phone with people who have lost their pets. We only hear his voice, but despite this, the tone of the conversation and its changes become apparent. Through its subject matter, the work addresses the human need for connection, as well as the simultaneous difficulty in trusting and establishing contact with others.

Emilia Ukkonen’s original intention was to film a documentary about people who had lost their pets in New York. In a society that emphasizes individuality and independence, a dog, cat, or other pet may serve as a substitute for close human relationships, which have become increasingly difficult to maintain. However, as Ukkonen approached people based on missing pet notices frequently seen in the city, she found that many were not willing or able to talk to her. The responses to her inquiries were often suspicious or even aggressive, and those who were interested tended to want to talk about anything other than their lost pets.

The result became the video work Lost Dog, currently on view at the gallery, where we watch and listen to the man’s phone conversations with people who have lost their pets. At its worst, the attempt to contact people behind the notices is interpreted as a bad joke or disguised as an extortion attempt. Ukkonen’s work aims to understand people’s emotional relationships with pets in urban society and reveals how difficult it can be to make contact with others, even as the need for connection with another living being remains strong. Alongside Lost Dog, the gallery also features a video titled Nancy, which touches on family dynamics and the process of making the work.

Emilia Ukkonen often operates in the realm of the absurd while observing reality from her unique perspective. She primarily works with moving images, but is also at home with other techniques. Ukkonen studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki and the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm. After returning from New York, Ukkonen now lives in Taka-Töölö, Helsinki. Lost Dog has been shown at Turku Art Museum in the Pimiö space and at several film festivals, as well as at Marion De Cannière Art Space in Antwerp, Belgium.

Translated with ChatGPT