NAKED DADA – Toni Hautamäki

Toni Hautamäki Speaks for the World Through Constructivism

Toni Hautamäki’s exhibition Naked Dada is a statement in favor of politically engaged art. According to the artist, both the media and contemporary art tend to avoid addressing real issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss. Instead of reality, what is offered is a kind of kitsch, evoking only pleasant and easy emotions without demanding or challenging thoughts. The title Naked Dada refers to how Dadaists emphasized the political nature of their art and its role in questioning reality. More than a century after the emergence of Dada, the question of what is true and what is not is more relevant than ever, and this is what the artist urges us to reflect on.

Hautamäki describes his artistic thinking as follows:
“I try to show things as they are—raw, exposed, unfiltered. For me, art is a part of truth, a new and revealing way to look at things, even difficult ones.”
He emphasizes that art should not be escapist or confined to a narrow selection of acceptable topics.

His artistic expression is a fascinating combination of geometric color compositions rooted in abstract art traditions, interwoven with text. The artist describes his recent work as follows:
“I pick words and phrases from the overwhelming flood of information—Noam Chomsky’s video essays, texts on climate change threats, deep ecology, and philosophy, for example.”

Hautamäki brings the modernist ethos of Josef Albers’ (1888–1976) color theory into the present day by combining Albers’ approach to color with texts addressing the existential challenges of our time. By merging the emotional impact of color with information, he demonstrates how critical thinking—and thinking in general—can be accessed through art. Art is not an escape from reality but rather an awakening to what is real—and an invitation to ask what should be done about it.

And the last word belongs to the artist himself:
“Now, I strive to make art against simplistic conservatism!”

Toni Hautamäki (b. 1977) is a visual artist based in Turku, Finland. He earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from the Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki, in 2009. He is a member of the Finnish Painters’ Union, Arte ry, and the Turku Artists’ Association. His works are included in the collections of the City of Turku and the Finnish State Art Collection. Naked Dada is Hautamäki’s first exhibition in Pori.

— Docent Juha-Heikki Tihinen

Translated with ChatGPT