THE MIRROR OF MEDUSA – Paintings on Imagined Sublimity, Roy Aurinko

In these works, I explore the ways of seeing: detaching observations from their subjects and elevating one’s own perceptions. The theoretical basis comes from the optical landscape viewing tool named after the French landscape painter Claude Lorrain, known also as the Black Mirror.

Claude’s Mirror (Claude glass or Black mirror) is an optical device used for viewing landscapes. In 18th-century aesthetic appreciation, landscapes viewed with the naked eye were considered crude, and through the lens of Claude’s mirror, observers imagined they were seeing a beautiful painting rather than the vulgarity of nature. Upon spotting a particularly picturesque view, the viewer would take out Claude’s glass, turn their back to the landscape, and view it through the device, which would frame and blur the scene, making it aesthetically pleasing. Claude’s glass is connected to the 18th-century concept of the sublime, where individuals project their emotions onto natural phenomena and receive a sense of imagined grandeur and sublimity as though it were inherent in the phenomenon itself.

I approach the experience of the sublime from the perspective of contemporary art: the conscious construction of self-image and the elevation of everyday experiences are carried out through social media and technology. On the other hand, visual art, in my case abstract painting, which intentionally distances itself from depicting the surrounding world and reflects the artist’s emotions, can be seen as striving for aesthetic experiences and even sensations of holiness. These sensations manifest as awe, reverence, and wonder, both in the presence of the finished work and as part of the process of its creation.

The exhibition title, The Mirror of Medusa, refers to the Greek myth. The gaze that turns one to stone can only be avoided by observing the monster indirectly, through a mirror. Perseus ultimately beheads Medusa through the reflection in his bronze shield, but who is the real monster that must be defeated? Is it the object of the gaze, the tool, or the viewer themselves?

Roy Aurinko (b. 1972) graduated with a Master of Arts from the Lapland University in 2007. The trace of his work and the feel of materials are present in his expressive abstract paintings, which are created using a mixed technique of acrylic, oil, chalk, and cement. Aurinko’s works have been exhibited in numerous shows across Finland and internationally, including in London and Berlin. Aurinko lives and works in Heinola.

The exhibition is supported by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland.

Translated with ChatGPT