IHA KUI VAA

Erika Adamsson
I am a visual artist from Turku, and my primary form of expression is painting. Recently, I have become increasingly interested in combining oil painting with woodcut prints. Similarly, blending surface-like painting techniques with relief-like beeswax is characteristic of my work.
In the Iha Kui Vaa exhibition, I am presenting paintings from the years 2000-2001. These works have previously been shown at the Turku Art Museum and the Uusikaupunki Cultural Centre Crusell. The subjects of my paintings explore the appearance of values and attitudes in everyday situations (in the series Seven Little Vices) and the way of spending a Sunday (in the Sunday series).

Markku Laakso
The first oil painting I created at the age of ten featured 70s Elvis Presley. A few years earlier, after Elvis’ death in 1977, I had become a devoted examiner of the Elvis myth.
Elvis returned to my paintings towards the end of my art studies when I decided to paint northern landscapes to ease my homesickness. And, as fate would have it, when I returned in my mind to the playplaces of my childhood and youth, I saw Elvis walking along the shores of Lake Peukalojärvi – a symbol of my youthful longing.
This resulted in a visually and conceptually fascinating combination. In my paintings, Elvis symbolizes a nature-observing Western culture that erases the essence of Lapland from me.
My latest works are like images from a frozen musical. Images where there is time to think. There is no recognizable music in these paintings, but rather the rustling of wind-blown trees, the crackling of a campfire, and the soft lapping of waves against the shore stones.
In Lapinpoika, Elvis, and the Maidens of the Island, the men have randomly drifted to the island in a boat, amidst the maidens, to a place of transformation, symbolizing Lemminkäinen. On the island, they reflect on the different behavior patterns of cultures, morality, and the role of women. The Lapland boy and Elvis begin a mating dance, with Elvis showing off his karate style and the Lapland boy mimicking the actions of the women.

Markku Laakso (born 1970) hails from the northern Lapland region of Enontekiö. He graduated as a visual artist from the Turku Drawing School and currently lives and works in Turku. Laakso’s Elvis-themed paintings have been exhibited in Finland as well as in Sweden, Tanker, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Italy, and Germany.

Laura Miettinen
I work with various graphic techniques. The different methods of graphic art suit my approach to drawing inspiration from the rich imagery of history. The respect and questioning of the past often play a strong role in my works. The pieces featured in this exhibition stem from our recent history, sometimes diverging even further in time. These works have been exhibited in several joint and group exhibitions in Finland.

This text was created with AI assistance