Don’t blink! – Anna Aho

The Don’t Blink! exhibition consists of digital works displayed on tablets, which are hung on walls like paintings. The pieces are created in Photoshop and resemble portrait-like paintings—except they only appear to be paintings. If one observes them long enough, it becomes clear that they are more than just still images. The figures in the works move; they are, in fact, alive. The movement is subtle—perhaps just a blink of an eye—something that might easily go unnoticed by the viewer.

The idea of “bringing paintings to life” has fascinated me for quite some time. I have previously experimented with this by combining painting and video, projecting video onto acrylic paintings. In those earlier works, the figures were prisoners of the painting, only allowed brief moments of life through the projection. In these new works, however, the figures pretend to be paintings, even though they are actually alive.

This is my first exhibition consisting of digital paintings. Usually, I paint with acrylics on canvas or other materials. It was also my first time creating animation. I enjoyed working digitally, but once the pieces were completed, I was happy to return to working with real paint. However, I enjoyed digital painting so much that I believe I will return to it in the future.

Artists, regardless of their medium, often spend hours, weeks, or even months creating a single piece. Yet, in exhibitions, artworks are often only glanced at or briefly observed. Online, images flash by even faster. Initiatives like Slow Art Day encourage viewers to spend more time looking at artworks. If these pieces are not observed long enough, or if the viewer does not happen to look at just the right moment, they might appear to be nothing more than static paintings, and their movement could go unnoticed. In that case, a crucial element of the works remains unseen.

Translated with ChatGPT