THE SQUATTERS – Laura Jantunen

WELCOME TO THE SQUAT!

You can rest your lower back in a squat. Blueberries are picked in a squat. Collecting stones and marveling at flowers up close is best done in a squat, as is tending a garden. In urban landscapes, squatting is an exception, yet for hunter-gatherers, it was a common position. Early humans did everything in a squat, but for modern, chair-sitting Homo sapiens, managing to squat is often seen as an accomplishment. There is something delightfully naïve and playfully intriguing about squatting. Through The Squatters exhibition, I invite you all to squat!

Laura Jantunen’s The Squatters exhibition is bursting with color-filled rya textiles. As part of the exhibition, visitors are also offered a physical task to complete during their visit—an invitation to experience the exhibition through the body.

BIO

Laura Jantunen is a multidisciplinary artist with roots in dance, particularly in contemporary dance. In addition to her dance practice, she works with textiles. Jantunen is a trained dancer and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in choreography at the Theatre Academy of Finland.

In her rya textiles, Jantunen explores the intersection of movement and textile art. Human figures and bright colors play a central role in her work. Each body-themed rya she creates begins with her own body, dance, and the experience of movement.

Jantunen’s ryas have previously been exhibited at Titanik Gallery in Turku and Kosminen Gallery in Helsinki. Her works have also been incorporated into the scenography of Samuli Laine’s Nurture. Additionally, she has used rya textiles in her own performances. Laura Jantunen’s dance works have been presented at venues such as Kutomo in Turku and Zodiak – Center for New Dance in Helsinki. Her most recent choreography, Summer, took place in a forest in Viikki, Helsinki.