For the fifth time, the Helsinki Artists’ Association brings a media art exhibition to Oodi, Helsinki’s central library. The artist of the exhibition is Katja Tukiainen, whose video animation retrospective Play : ) can be seen in Oodi’s lobby from 5 October to 5 November 2023.
Welcome to the opening of the exhibition on Thursday 5 October, at 5 pm in the presence of the artist!
The picture shows a scene from Katja Tukiainen’s video animation work Paradis Sectaire (2002–2004, cinematographer: Pakito Bolino & Le Dernier Cri, video editor: Pia Männikkö, c. 3 min.)
Katja Tukiainen: Play : )
Katja Tukiainen’s (b. 1969 Pori) video animation retrospective on Oodi screens brings together Tukiainen’s moving image works, all of which are based on the idea of play. Dolls and mythical creatures have been the muses of the works. Tukiainen creates his actors by drawing, molding and building from different materials. A similar playful and exploratory experimentation with materials is characteristic of her entire artistic production since the 90s. The name of the exhibition ”Play : )” refers to both the video recorder’s play button and to children’s play. The smiley after the word refers to a time when computers were still a bit of a novelty : )
Katja got well known for her pink girl paintings and comics already in the mid of 1990’s. Katja’s painted degree for The Doctor of Fine Arts at The Academy of Fine Arts Helsinki is called The Girl Army –Narrative painting in space. Katja’s girl gang talks to you in her paintings, installations, videoanimations, sculptures and comics. The girls in her paintings are both innocent and sassy, and they want to create places of open-minded humanity.
Katja’s paintings and installations have been regularly seen in Finland and abroad, but this is her first solo exhibition in Oodi.
The Helsinki Artists’ Association represents more than 900 visual artists from Helsinki, and the membership also includes a large number of active and current representatives of media art. Satu Kalliokuusi and Eeva Muona from Helsinki Taiteilijaseura are the curators of the Oodi 2023 exhibition.
Through Oodi’s exhibitions, the Helsinki Artists’ Association aims to increase the visibility of media art and diversify the conditions for artists to make art. The open space and excellent technical framework of the media library enable an open and accessible connection for the presentation of media art.
Additional information:
Satu Kalliokuusi
visual artist, curator
satu.kalliokuusi@helsingintaiteilijaseura.fi, 045 326 4416
Eeva Muona
executive director
eeva.muona@helsingintaiteilijaseura.fi, 044 273 1306
Helsinki Central Library Oodi
Töölönlahdenkatu 4, 00100 Helsinki
Opening hours Mon–Fri 8am–9pm, Sat–Sun 10am–8pm