MADE IN… – Kyllikki Haavisto

Opening on Friday, July 21st, from 6–8 PM. Free entry. Welcome!

I strive to tell stories through the smallest depictions of everyday life—things that connect us all. Shopping, for instance, is an activity that is almost unavoidable in today’s world. At the same time, it is a link to the vast, global network that sustains everything, for better or worse, in prosperity and in crisis.

The title of this exhibition originally stemmed from the idea of a simple Shopping Trip. However, after photographing some intriguing little items I had acquired, I became increasingly interested in the Made in labels found on various products.

The Made in Germany label speaks of an era before a divided Germany. It wasn’t so long ago that Made in West Germany was a common marking. Another object that piqued my interest was a travel alarm clock manufactured in Japan by Citizen, designed in a style reminiscent of Dieter Rams’ aesthetics.

I primarily view these labels as a painter, considering them as visual elements. However, they also tell a stark story in their own way: the quintessentially Finnish Sisu pastilles are now owned by a Swedish company and produced in Italy. Similarly, Xylitol Jenkki chewing gum, originally introduced as the first innovative xylitol product on the market, is now manufactured in the Netherlands.

At times, I have based my artworks on contemporary packaging labels, but I find older, more minimalistic product packaging far more inspiring and evocative. These older labels also reflect a time when national borders were stricter—before globalization reshaped the world.

After reading Karl Ove Knausgård’s latest book (The Wolves of Eternity, Like, 2023), I felt encouraged to capture a slightly nostalgic glimpse of Leningrad in the 1980s. A large matchbox I painted was actually a flea market find, but the hotel depicted in one of my works is the same one where I stayed a couple of times. It wasn’t located in the city center, so I had to take a bus to get there. On my first day, I got separated from my fellow Finns in the crowds of Nevsky Prospekt and had no idea which direction to take or which bus to board. A kind window cleaner pointed me to the correct bus stop and, realizing I was standing on the wrong side of the street, even ran across the road to direct me to the right place.

I use a variety of materials in my work. The idea behind each piece determines the technique I choose, but oil paint remains a constant foundation in nearly all my works.

Translated with ChatGPT