Sculptures, Installation Art, and Pastel Drawings – Niina Kestilä, Sirpa Perä

Niina Kestilä (b. 1979) is a sculptor based in Kajaani. She graduated as a visual artist from the Imatra Art School in 2000. Kestilä creates sculptures and installation art using materials such as metal, wood, and plaster. The themes of her works focus on human relationships and emotional states. In her pieces, she explores relationships in an exaggerated, critical, and sometimes ironic manner. The exhibition includes installation works “Virta” (Flow) and “Tuonelan virta” (The River of the Underworld).

Sirpa Perä (b. 1976) is a young artist from Tampere. She primarily uses pastel chalks in her technique. In her drawings, she portrays animals while dreaming of exposing her own humanity to the laws of the animal world. The animals in the exhibition are related to the sea. One swims in the depths, while another emerges onto the shore.

The artist has brought out the dominant characteristic of each subject and the emotions unique to them. One of the models is an octopus, which appears in many of the drawings. The lines that define the octopus’s suction cups and surface are drawn precisely and with care. The relationship with the model is relaxed and alert.

In a work made in 2002, drawn on kraft paper, Perä depicts walruses gathered on a rock to bask in the sun. The pile of walruses weighs tons. Their skin turns red when they are hot. They have grouped together in a skilled formation, crawling over each other without damaging their companions with their protruding tusks. Now is a time for peace, spent together in camaraderie.

The artist shares the background of the “Walruses” work:

‘”In mid-August of last year, I was in Helsinki for an nude photograph by the American photographer Spencer Tunick. Nearly two thousand people participated. The main motivation for joining was to experience what it feels like to be part of a group, like a walrus in a herd.”

This text was created with AI assistance