IMAGE WITHIN AN IMAGE / Collection – Henni Kitti

My exhibition Image within an Image / Collection consists of watercolor and ink paintings. It is images within images, depictions of the birth of images; it portrays objects or phenomena on their way to becoming an image, in the process of being painted. The exhibition as a whole can be seen as a kind of metafictional narrative, where individual works reflect a larger whole in miniature: three large pieces depict the spaces in which they were created, along with their own subjects and those of the other works in the exhibition—or even the works themselves.

Another central theme of the exhibition is the idea of a natural science collection: the works are like thoughts and subjects gathered by a collector, serving as pieces of evidence for something undefined. In many works, the collector appears as hands or feet, framing the images within their field of vision, or attempting to hold onto something—even though light phenomena and colors are intangible. The works have come into being through the artist’s touch, yet their subjects remain just beyond her reach.

Keywords for this collection could include irrational classification, beauty, lightness, playfulness, and crafting.

Henni Kitti

(b. 1985)
Henni Kitti is a visual artist and writer. She draws, paints, photographs, and writes. She graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki, in 2011 and has studied general literature and creative writing at the University of Turku. She has held exhibitions across Finland and participated in several group exhibitions. Her second novel, Majakka (working title), will be published by S & S in the fall of 2024.

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