NOTES ON SWIMMING – Saimi Suikkanen

I push off the tiled wall with my feet and dive into the turquoise water. Bubbles escape from my mouth as I propel myself forward. For a moment, everything slows down. Soon, I rise to the surface, and the music playing in the background of the water aerobics class reaches my ears. I lower my head back underwater and glide into the gentle embrace of the water.

I became excited about swimming in the spring. I had taken years-long breaks from swimming halls and had forgotten how relaxing and holistic swimming is as an exercise. I fell in love with the hobby immediately, and soon, my visits to the swimming hall became the highlights of my weeks. Eventually, the turquoise water even found its way into my paintings.

In the works of this exhibition, I have depicted themes that emerged during my swimming hall visits. I am drawn to the tiled aesthetics of swimming halls, the scent of chlorinated water, and especially encounters with different people. In my paintings, I explore how bodily sensations evoked by swimming could be captured on canvas. Can paintings convey the misty atmosphere of a eucalyptus-scented steam sauna or the meditative moment of diving to the bottom of the pool? At times, more mundane subjects find their way into my works, such as the always-full lockers or the sandals waiting at the edge of the pool.

For a long time, I have created works using photographs as the starting point. In this series, however, my approach has been different, as photography is not allowed in swimming halls. Therefore, the works in this exhibition have primarily been created based on notes and sketches I made after my swimming hall visits.

Saimi Suikkanen (b. 1994) is a visual artist from Imatra, currently based in Helsinki. She graduated as a visual artist from Saimaa University of Applied Sciences in 2017 and is currently completing her Master’s studies in Fine Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki. The exhibition is supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s Arts Council of South Karelia.

Translated with ChatGPT