MY METROPOLIS – Tyko Elo

I gaze upward into the infinity above, admiring the movement of cloud patterns on the wall of the towering building before me. As evening falls, I step inside and take the elevator high up. Leaning towards the window, I watch with excitement as the lights of the metropolis gradually begin to flicker on below.

The Jeddah Tower, currently under construction in Saudi Arabia, is set to become the tallest building in the world upon completion. Initially, the plan was for the tower to reach 1.6 kilometers, but in 2008, the decision was made to settle for a “mere” kilometer in height. In my own metropolis, there have also been grand utopian visions, but the door to my studio set a limit—I had to settle for a city’s tallest tower that reaches just 265 centimeters. However, with its antenna, the Ida Meller Tower stands at 335 cm.

The first skyscrapers in the United States were built in Chicago in the 1870s and 1880s, often named after local great men. Instead of honoring a famous male figure, I wanted to name my skyscraper after a Finnish female artist. This led me to Ida Charlotta Meller (December 22, 1856 – October 7, 1896, Helsinki), one of Finland’s earliest female sculptors. She turned out to be a fascinating case—none of her works have survived, despite her long studies and participation in numerous exhibitions. That felt fitting: My Metropolis is also a mythical city somewhere beyond the oceans, spoken of in grand tales. Some have even had the chance to ascend its upper floors and admire the city’s pulse from above.

In the spring and summer of 2018, while living in the United States, I explored the essence of a metropolis. I wandered through the streets, capturing details in photographs: street corners, subway stations, fire hydrants, the edges of buildings. The sidewalks are made of concrete. Neon signs have largely been replaced by massive digital billboards that flash with an overwhelming intensity. A striking visual contrast is the peaceful coexistence of a hundred-year-old building standing side by side with a newly completed skyscraper. Each building stands proudly on its own, separate yet distinct.

Skyscrapers are massive structures, yet they are built with lightweight, delicate materials to maximize usable space. I have sought to capture this contrast and atmosphere through my choice of painting materials and techniques. By alternating between plaster and silicone, I create an image surface that conveys an almost surreal sense of megalomania.

Incidentally, Japan has plans for a four-kilometer-high building named X-Seed 4000. Perhaps more metropolis-themed exhibitions may emerge in the future.

The My Metropolis exhibition was originally scheduled to take place at Poriginal Gallery in spring 2020, but due to the pandemic, it has been postponed twice. This exhibition is a continuation of my 2017 installation “Once Upon a Time in a Park,” which was featured at the Mänttä Art Festival and transported the viewer into a natural landscape. Both exhibitions explore the experience of being immersed in an environment that is larger than oneself—whether shaped by nature or human construction.

This exhibition has been supported by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland.