Ascendi! – Anja Karkku-Hohti, Hanna Karkku, Anna-Leena Papadopoulos

One Must Be Light Like a Bird, Not Like a Feather
—Paul Valéry

Lightness often goes unnoticed and is overshadowed when heavier and therefore seemingly much more significant matters capture our attention and appreciation. However, following the wise guidance of Italo Calvino*, we have chosen to explore the contrast between lightness and weight in our exhibition and, like him, take a stance in defense of lightness.

The history of lightness is profound, having been written about by both poets and scientists alike. Lightness steps forward in the guise of emptiness, with winged strides, at least since the first atomists realized that the world is mostly empty space. According to Ovid, this makes everything subject to change—only a thin veil separates one being from another; let it flutter, and everything is transformed.

Lightness should not be mistaken for frivolity, for a careless surrender to chance. No, lightness is precise, determined, though inclined toward contemplation. It is the object of our unattainable longing.

Our means of pursuing this ever-elusive idea of lightness are forgotten, found, collected, and combined materials and objects in which we have sensed a readiness for change and ascent. Through them, we do not seek to capture lightness but rather to reflect its deeper qualities—perhaps with a subtle glimmer of humor in the process.

Anja Karkku-Hohti is a visual artist from Pori, Hanna Karkku is an interior architect from Helsinki, and Anna-Leena Papadopoulos is an architect from Helsinki—all of the same family and lineage.

*Italo Calvino: Six Memos for the Next Millennium – Lightness

Anja Karkku-Hohti: Paintings, Downstairs

The downstairs exhibition features more than a dozen gouache paintings completed this year.

As a painting medium, gouache is remarkably flexible, with a range that spans from heavy to light. True to the exhibition’s title, the works emphasize a sense of lightness, though without frivolity. Even in its most delicate form, gouache retains a certain solidity and seriousness.

The subject matter of the paintings does not follow a specific theme—unless one considers the subjective observations and statements of an individual about existence and its documentation to be a theme in itself.

For me, the essential aspect of painting is how color and light inhabit space. The interplay of color, light, and space forms the foundation of both physical and spiritual existence. These are also the fundamental elements of painting for me. There is a saying: A rose is a rose. One could also say: A painting is a painting.

This text was created with AI assistance